|
Marie does not possess many material items. She lives in a small one bedroom trailer on the backside of the trailer park. The years have not been kind to her physically as she deals with scoliosis and hearing loss. Marie, despite the physical limitations takes time to bake cookies for her neighbors. Her warm offerings provide a loving gift to a few children, an elderly couple, and a young college student. Marie while weak physically demonstrates a strength builds connection between neighbors.
Marie embodies kindness. She is a human being acting and speaking, empowering others to replicate similar behaviors towards the self and others. A home, neighborhood, or society which experience kindness become places supportive of human flourishing. Kindness in leadership, particularly in nonprofits, creates a culture where individuals feel valued, empowered, and inspired to extend similar kindness to others, fostering a cycle of positive change. Understanding Kindness as an Action and a Virtue A kind act accomplished at one particular point in time can have an impact on the subject of that action. In that particular moment isolation is replaced with companionship; hunger is satiated; a thirst is quenched. An isolated act of kindness can be compared to a band aid placed on an scraped knee. The consistent practice of kindness can produce a type of excellence which can be experienced by giver and receiver alike. The virtue of kindness can move from an isolated action to a daily practice through contemplation and practice. Aristotle promotes the importance of an individual taking time to reflect on the kind, quality, and implications of the virtue. From the point of contemplation, an individual can develop the habit of the particular virtue. An individual looking for opportunities at home, in the workplace, or other social settings can begin to experience a gradual change leading to improved character. Intentional kindness as a result of some serious reflection can reinforce positive self-perception, promoting healthier relationships and greater emotional resilience. How I view myself has such an impact on my daily life. Internally, when I view myself as assertive, personable, and energetic, my approach towards my daily tasks are more successful. Yet when I find myself in moments of struggle wrestling with my PTSD, my movements and communication are with a serious limp. Intentional kindness can offer the internal and external strength influencing a better view of the self. In other words, doing good can lead to being good. Kindness and Self-Perception I am my worst critic. I offer significantly more grace to others than I do myself. Standing in the mirror daily looking at my imperfections, physical and psychological, I recognize I could be better and I want to be better. Kindness if it is to be poured out on others and the world, must begin with myself. The world is difficult and honestly, the greatest problems I must confront are not the systems which advance homelessness or contribute to illiteracy among the youth; the problems I constantly face are internal. I can choose an emotional hammer as the implement to deal with how I perceive myself or choose measures which consider the complexities of my personality to assess growth and where I still need to mature. Kindness can serve as the tool to build a better man and a better world, if I courageously choose.
0 Comments
Maybe it is a portion of the human experience to reflect on suffering and the lack within our daily lives. Such a reflection can influence how each of us approach life and how we will go about creating for ourselves an environment in which gratitude becomes commonplace. How hard do we have to work in order to have a mindset of gratitude?
All around us are examples of technological advancements which have created ease within our lives. Our level of knowledge and accumulation of wisdom due to previous failures contributes to our ability to create in new ways. My ability to be grateful does not come easily and I can imagine there are millions of other men and women who wrestle with cultivating such an attitude and activity. I wrestle with the attitude and while my adversary is working my mind and my body to have me submit and thus produce a hopeful way of looking at life, I contend with my full being. At some point the sun is going to rise and gratitude will execute some maneuver which will lead me to limp and find gratitude in the fact more could have been done to change my mind. It was the wrestling and difficulty which while humbling my being produced in me a level of gratitude because so much more could have been taken from me during the experience. So, while I should not compare my situation to another, I have to look over and observe my neighbor. “He left with not only a limp but also the loss of one eye.” I look behind me and see my other neighbor who limps but also has lost her home. Gratitude finds a way even with all of my technological knowledge and what I thought was a high degree of intelligence to humble my mind and cause me to announce in some manner, “Thank you for what I do have.” Secondly, gratitude leads us to focus inwardly and at some point each of us should take the moment to look outwardly and the development of our environmental circumstances. Surely, we should rejoice that the movement of our own bodies or the products we have produced are no longer conducted with our bodies solely. Centuries have passed and the ability to transport has moved from months, to weeks, to days, and now to hours. At some point in our future, as knowledge increases, creativity is stimulated, our ability to move from one fixed point to another will be in the matter of minutes. Imagine the profound impact such an advancement will have on the quality of life of individuals in terms of education, movement of food, and an event so critical as seeing a loved one for his or her final moments before transcending this earthly coil. The opportunities for gratitude are numerous and we should pursue being less busy at times to simply pause and reflect on what we do possess, how far we have come as a human race, and the possibilities which lay before us. |
RSS Feed
