A Call for Kindness

31 of 45 Moments of Wonder

Watching the news, listening to people talking, having a heart to heart with my son, I am concerned with the level of unkindness around me. I am not talking about the occasional thoughtless word or action that someone later takes responsibility for and makes it right. I am talking about deliberate, hurtful, unkind acts. I just don’t understand why.

What I do understand is that while we can not change the unkind actions of others, we can do two things. First, we can have compassion and understand that people act in unkind ways because they are hurting. It doesn’t excuse their behaviour but it might help us understand the reason for it. Rarely, if ever, does a person’s deliberate and hurtful action have anything to do with us. We are just the target.

The second thing we can do is counter the unkindness with abundant kindness. Kindness toward the unkind person. Kindness toward all people. Kindness in the world we live in. We need to counter that negative energy that comes from someone being unkind. And, maybe, when the person being unkind has had time to reflect and see the consequences of their unkindness, they will be able to find a way to bring kindness back to their world too.

There is wisdom in being kind. I wonder if being kind today I can counter the hurt I feel from a person being very unkind to me. Maybe. Maybe not. But I do know that I can make sure someone else doesn’t have to experience the pain of my unkindness.