Have you noticed how often peope are using the word kindness these days? It’s a word we humans have known and practised in varying ways for centuries, but I am betting that many of us haven’t stopped to seriously think about what it truly means and how we can incorporate it more into our daily lives. However, thanks to COVID, we are beginning to stop and take a closer look at what it means for us and how we can find the time to use it for the benefit of others. Because it’s a word that has come back into vogue, I have been tossing around in my mind how I might tackle the subject for my next post. The answer came when I discovered an article I bookmarked some time ago: “Thirty Inspiring Kindness Quotes That Will Enlighten You” – Anonymous.
Here are the ones that grabbed my attention:
“A little thought and a little kindness are worth more than a great deal of money.” John Ruskin
” Single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” Albert Schweitzer
“Kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers.” Kahil Gibran
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
“I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way.” Lady Gaga
Kindness is more important than wisdom and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” Theodore Isaac Rubin
Not satisfied with reading about the thoughts and definitions of some of our modern day thinkers, I decided to delve into the history of the word kindness. My search began with the only dictionary I happen to have on hand: the Webster’s Dictionary – Basic English Words For Everyday Use. Would you believe that the actual word“kindness” wasn’t even in it! I have never liked Webster’s probably because I am not an American so have vowed to buy another Oxford dictionary which I lost somewhere along my life’s journey. I then decided to check out Google to see what they would come up with and found a modern day definition which defined kindness as ” friendly, generous and considerate actions to benefit others who do not expect anything in return.” This was followed by the Bible’s definition describing kindness as a selfless, compassionate, and merciful act for everyone. Both are good descriptions of what it is, but I wanted to find out more about the origin of the word so opted to find out what Wikopedia had to say.
They gave me two more definitions which really struck home for me:
“Kindness and love are the most curative herbs and agents in human intercourse” by Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, and ” You should respond with kindness toward evil done to you, and you will destroy in an evil person that pleasure which he derives from evil” by Leo Tolstoy the great Russian novelist of “War and Peace” fame.
Another little tidbit I learned is that a thesaurus can suggest up to 95 definitions for kindness, such as tolerance, charity, sympathy, understanding, good will, and unselfishness to name just a few whereas there are only 20 antonyms for the opposite to kindness.
Before I leave these revelations on what constitutes kindness, I would like to add that acts of kindness not only will affect those you use it on or with, but also on you your ‘self’. Have you ever noticed that after doing something that helps another person often helps you to feel better? This is especially true if you do it spontaneously because you want to do it not because you feel you should out of guilt or pity as our religions often taught us. You can take this learning one step further, and honestly say that the more kindness you show to others, the more kind you will become to your ‘self’. Maybe you haven’t thought of it that way, but over time you will notice that you will become better in so many little ways: you will start to feel better about your self worth, you might notice that more feelings of joy will appear in your life, you could gain more energy and motivation to do the things you have been putting off, you could become more loving towards your self and others, and you may possibly gain more material things such as money or fame if that is what you want. No matter what you may be searching for and hoping to find, you will give yourself and others the best gift you ever could by practicing kindness. You will be bringing more light into our world which sorely needs some. Our ability to spread kindness all around is a good place to start. It just might save us. It definitely is all up to us, isn’t it?
Some pictures from my previous posts which depicted for me the meaning of kindness.
Owner of one of my favourite coffee places in Chiang Mai.Another coffee shop owner in Chiang Mai…so sweet and kind.Protecting our forests in Nova ScotiaLocal farming feeding his baby lambs. Macaw monkeys grooming each other.Little Elizabeth, my new friend I met at Ayer’s Rock in Australia.Little children in Cambodia who wanted me to take their pictute.
I look forward to hearing from anyone who reads this to share what personal experience you have had when carrying out an act of kindness. Any comments from my readers are greatly appreciated and if you liked this post, then please tap on the like button below.
Walking in the only sizeable park in Chiang Mai which just happens to be near where I am staying, I heard a soft voice say, “I love your toenails!” It was dark, around six o’clock, so when I turned around to hear where the voice came from, there was a small woman with long, gray hair and glasses. She didn’t fit the image of most Thai women in their 50’s or 60’s, but I figured that strange remark must have come from her when there was no one else around. Why would she say that I wondered? After a moment’s hesitation, I realized she was looking at and pointing to my newly painted toenails which I had recently painted as an accompaniment to my summer sandals.
Recovering from her unexpected compliment, I felt she wanted to continue the conversation so I immediately got one started by asking her some questions. We continued to walk together for about ten minutes covering such subjects as her family, what she did for a living, children and husband…typical things one talks about with those who are native to the country you are visiting. Somehow in that short space of time, we landed on what was going on in our world today. This really got her talking… much of which I had difficulty understanding. We had entered into the realm of philosophy which can be a difficult topic to address when speaking to someone with an entirely different language. It’s something I’ve never been able to do with any Thai person in all the times I have visited this country. Continue reading →
When I begin to feel the stress of everyday living, one of the best things I can do is to get outside and head for either the beach or the trees which are both only a fifteen minute walk from my house. I’ll bet that anyone who lives in a the city might think that quite wonderful and be envious. I agree that it is, but I have a terrible confession to make… I don’t do this enough. Why is that when I am retired and only have myself to care for? Could it have something to do with not having enough time, or might it be a bit of laziness, sometimes forgetfulness, or some other lame excuse? Regardless for what the reason is for my not getting in touch with nature more often when it’s right at my doorstep, the one thing I am certain of is that when I make time for a walk in nature, I return home feeling invigorated and more at peace. And, yes,I am more motivated to write about it on my blog.
Where has the time gone! I can’t believe that my last blog was published at the end of April over three months ago. It’s no wonder that feelings of guilt have been knocking at my door. Of course, I am as guilty as any decent human being for making up excuses about why we aren’t doing what we know deep down we ought be doing. Okay, perhaps I am being a bit harsh on myself because I need to acknowledge the fact that with the arrival of spring, I needed to get my veggie garden started. By June my transplants had to be put in and before I could catch my breath lettuce, spinach, and other greens were all begging to be picked. My days were consumed by my gardening and attempts to do a bit of landscaping around my property. Dare I compare gardening to a battle that just seems to get a little bit more difficult every year? The other battle I had to overcome was the plain and simple fact that I had lost my mojo to write. I could blame this on COVID, rampant inflation, unpredictable weather, along with myriad other reasons, but I won’t because the truth of it was that I felt I didn’t really have anything to write about. I hadn’t travelled anywhere for over a year and was faced with the glaring reality that my travelling days were probably over forever.
Do you get as tired and depressed as I can after listening to the latest news reports which seem to to be getting worse with each passing day? Having heard enough about the unthinkable catastrophe quickly unfolding in the Ukraine, I was about to turn off my radio when I heard Matt Galloway, on CBC’s The Current, suggest we stay tuned for his next interview about a rare kind of whale recently sighted in the St. Lawrence River.
Since COVID arrived with its challenges two years ago and our changing climate has so far tested us with a winter like no other that we have ever seen, I have developed the ‘not so great’ habit of listening to the morning news over a larger than usual cup of coffee. I rationalise this by telling myself it’s better to hear about the catastrophe taking place in the Ukraine in the morning rather than seeing it on the late night news before going to bed.
Returning now to the narwhal sighting, for some inexplicable reason this was a story I felt I needed to hear more about. It’s not surprising that whales, birds and other wildlife are being seen outside their natural habitats these days as our climate changes. So what is so unusual about one baby narwhal sighting so far south when normally he hangs out in the far north of the Arctic? Hoping it might possibly be a good news story which could help shake off my doldrums, I grabbed a pen to make some notes because down deep I could finally feel a topic to write about for my next blog post.
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