Interesting. This has me questioning my "level" of kindness to the real people around me that I've been dishing out recently. Worth looking into. Thank you for this piece.
I love this so much. I’ve made it a point, and now my adult daughter does too, to find something positive to say to a child who has probably not received many kind words. To see their face light up does us more good than it does the child. We all need to be kinder.
That is great to hear and I’m glad that the point came across! Sometimes the feeling of doing an act of kindness is even better than the feeling of receiving one.
I wish more people would write this sort of thing. The one thing that we’ve lost in a competitive society is basic winsome and approachable people. Your post makes me want to be more kind and consider people’s requests. Thank you!😊
Thanks so much. It’s such an interesting experience to see the same subject come up in others writing. It’s powerful to read the commonalities and differences in deep thought and analysis through artful writing of all kinds.
Whelp I have a different perspective on this, no matter the level of kindness one displays it will always be selfish, to solve some self-fulfilling motive, whether it'd be to feel better than others or to get validation, there is always some alterior motive to kindness.
Well said mate. I think the challenge of humanity in these times is in our ability and willingness to be kind in the very sense you describe; as in to treat all kinds of people as kin, as family.
The ability and willingness to extend our empathy beyond the usual boundaries of tribal identification.
I'm bad at it, we all tend towards tribal identification. It's natural to be suspicious or wary of others who seem very different to ourselves, but unless we can learn to transcend that natural wariness I fear we shall end up in a very sorry state as a species.
Keep writing brother. Happy to have found you through a cross post from the Wise Wolf.
Thank you and I really like your self-aware comment! I indeed think that tribal identification can give sense of security but in return remove the instinct to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Thank you. We need more of this. I really try. Someone was incredibly unkind to me today… and I took it. It hurt. A lot. And I did my best to respond in love. It’s the hardest work, but the most important. Especially now.
That’s great to hear thank you for sharing this! it must have been hard, however when you don’t lower yourself to their level that also can be rewarding in my experience.
Interesting. This has me questioning my "level" of kindness to the real people around me that I've been dishing out recently. Worth looking into. Thank you for this piece.
Well thank you and great to hear! I would say that the essay achieved its goal then haha.
Yes. It sure did. 🙂↕️
Hello~ a kind spirit flows throughout your writing and I appreciated you sharing it. 💫Sonya anderson
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it
I love this so much. I’ve made it a point, and now my adult daughter does too, to find something positive to say to a child who has probably not received many kind words. To see their face light up does us more good than it does the child. We all need to be kinder.
That is great to hear and I’m glad that the point came across! Sometimes the feeling of doing an act of kindness is even better than the feeling of receiving one.
To be just a human being ❤️
I wish more people would write this sort of thing. The one thing that we’ve lost in a competitive society is basic winsome and approachable people. Your post makes me want to be more kind and consider people’s requests. Thank you!😊
Thank you I really appreciate this heartfelt message
Great article, thanks for sharing!
Love it. Keep it up, in your writing.
Thank you man, motivates me to keep going
Loved this! I wrote a poem a week or so ago about ‘kind’: https://substack.com/@megfloss/note/c-218381563?r=3vtvi&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Very beautiful poem and it indeed has that courage element to it!
Thanks so much. It’s such an interesting experience to see the same subject come up in others writing. It’s powerful to read the commonalities and differences in deep thought and analysis through artful writing of all kinds.
Great I am gonna read it right away!
Thanks!
Whelp I have a different perspective on this, no matter the level of kindness one displays it will always be selfish, to solve some self-fulfilling motive, whether it'd be to feel better than others or to get validation, there is always some alterior motive to kindness.
Perhaps that is true, but why shouldn’t you go ahead with it anyway?
The argument was for the fact of you presenting kindness as a virtue when it's really a selfish motive, but yes you should be kind always
Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed this piece very much. I think we could all do with showing each other more kindness and grace.
Thank you I’m happy you enjoyed it! Love that!
Great content ❤️🧡❤️🧡keep doing what you do.
Thank you for the heartfelt comment. I absolutely will ❤️🧡
Very true. Kindness to me equals empathy and compassion, which are both marks of humanity. We should all want others to see us as humane.
Yeah I wholeheartedly agree with you!
Well said mate. I think the challenge of humanity in these times is in our ability and willingness to be kind in the very sense you describe; as in to treat all kinds of people as kin, as family.
The ability and willingness to extend our empathy beyond the usual boundaries of tribal identification.
I'm bad at it, we all tend towards tribal identification. It's natural to be suspicious or wary of others who seem very different to ourselves, but unless we can learn to transcend that natural wariness I fear we shall end up in a very sorry state as a species.
Keep writing brother. Happy to have found you through a cross post from the Wise Wolf.
Thank you and I really like your self-aware comment! I indeed think that tribal identification can give sense of security but in return remove the instinct to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Important topic well presented, thank you.
Reminds me of "Random Acts of Kindness,” know of it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_act_of_kindness
And I think the book "Betrayal of the Self" will speak to you.
Betrayal of the Self: The Fear of Autonomy in Men and Women by Arno Gruen
https://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Self-Autonomy-English-German/dp/0802110177/ref=sr_1_1
https://archive.org/details/betrayalofselffe0000grue
“Let us be kind, one to another, for most of us are fighting a hard battle.” Ian McLaren
I hope you will join our weekend The Philosophy of Responsible Freedom, Session 10: Life as a Quest
https://responsiblyfree.substack.com/p/the-philosophy-of-responsible-freedom
You will find our Zoom url there and times to join as well as our 50 Session themes.
Hope you will “tumble” with us.
“It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others.” Michel de Montaigne
Email Jack themesofjack@gmail.com and I will put you on our email list.
Thank you for all the links and resources I will look into it!
Join us tonight, Sat, Feb 14, 9pm; or tomorrow, Sunday, Feb 15, 9pm New Zealand time, details https://responsiblyfree.substack.com/p/the-philosophy-of-responsible-freedom-b24
Thank you. We need more of this. I really try. Someone was incredibly unkind to me today… and I took it. It hurt. A lot. And I did my best to respond in love. It’s the hardest work, but the most important. Especially now.
That’s great to hear thank you for sharing this! it must have been hard, however when you don’t lower yourself to their level that also can be rewarding in my experience.
Good post will be linking it tomorrow @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/
Keep up the good work!
Thank you!