Kindness: If Kinda Kind is Kinda Good, Then Why is Humankind Not More Kind?

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Humankindness…there’s plenty of room for you…

Kindness in words creates confidence.
…in thinking creates profoundness.
…in giving creates love.
~Lao Tzu

There is a sale on kindness now and it’s free. No BOGO, no tricks, no gimmicks, just free as free could be.

You can create an endless and infinite amount of kindness and it won’t cost you a cent. And you can give it all away over and over again and you’ll never be depleted.

Kindness is there for the taking, but more so, it’s there for the giving.

Why, then, does there seem to be so many unkind acts in the world today? And why do so many people seem to be indifferent?

What are the core messages that are given about kindness? Certainly most would agree that it’s a virtue to be exercised and an action to be applied. It’d be fair to say that everyone thinks it’s a good value to have and to give.

Then what happens that it seems to dissipate?

How about this: Even though there’s a general agreement about kindness being good and that we “should” be kind, we don’t live in an environment that supports and reinforces that.

When is the television turned on where you see programs about kindness? How many “reality” shows are there focused on kindness? Game shows? Children’s shows? Late night talk shows?

Oops. None. Or maybe only very, very few.

How often can you watch or listen to the news, or read a newspaper and find news about kindness? There’s some, but very little. One local news show has a weekly “warm fuzzy” piece that lasts about five minutes.

How often would one walk into a mainstream classroom and find a lesson about kindness? How much of the general curriculum is focused on it?

Oops again. Pretty much zero, although I’m told that there is a mandate for “character development” material to be integrated into our current education system, and apparently there is supposed to be some focus on kindness, or at least a reasonable facsimile.

At the risk of sounding cynical, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Perhaps in churches, synagogues and religious gathering places there is some emphasis put on being kind to others, but then we get bombarded with news reports about how different “religious” groups are at the forefront of terrorism, wars and genocide.

I don’t know about you, but I get a little suspicious about religion being a reliable source of promoting kindness.

This leaves an important question on the table:
Where does reliable and lasting kindness start?

I want to let you know that I have recently discovered the answer.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

You might not like the answer.

Or you might already know the answer and want to hear it even less.

YOU!
Kindness starts with you.
Well, in this case,
it actually starts with me.

What would happen if you and I each dedicated our primary goal every day to that of being kind and carrying the message of kindness by only engaging in acts of kindness?

What might happen? It could be only good.

And what would happen next, if you and I each reached out to one other person and asked them to make the same commitment?

And what if we only asked for the same “pass it on and pay it forward” of each person who committed to this path of kindness? Only more good.

Of course, someone would likely challenge this “kindness movement” as being too little too late, and simply not enough to really change much of anything.

I disagree.

The world did not suddenly become kindness unconscious or indifferent in a day. It has been a day-in-day-out gradual and very subtle process. It has taken humankind (the epitome of an oxymoron) thousands of years of get to where we are today.

Therefore, it may take thousands of years to fully reverse this pattern.

But aren’t we worth it?

I invite you to be consciously kind as much as you can today.
And I challenge you to be consciously kind as much as you can today.
I dare you to be consciously kind as much as you can today.

I am. With you or without you.

I know it may not be easy and I know I won’t do it perfectly, but I’m committing to it.

Anyone care to join me?

P.S. Start with Marry YourSelf First!

And get a quantum jumpstart for yourself!!