Being Kind to Others is a Kindness to OURSELVES

“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”

~His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

Whenever I see this quote (which I had as my email signature line, for a while), it always reminds me of the many ways in life where the practice of "doing onto others" effectively results in doing the same thing onto ourselves.

Butterfly in the sun

When we show love and kindness to others, it may well benefit them, and that may-- indeed-- be our primary objective.

But in showing love and kindness, we're also giving ourselves a dose of love and kindness. Think about it: It's almost impossible to feel grumpy and miserable when you are being authentically kind and loving towards someone else. So whereas the act itself may seem "selfless," on the surface, we're actually helping ourselves, as well.

The "Golden Rule,"... only better

The second half of the "Golden Rule" quote reads "... as you would have them do unto you."

Daisy
Daisy in the late afternoon sun

It seems to me that a lot of the time we engage in kindly acts where the reciprocity associated with some outside "them" doing something nice for us actually comes from ourselves. When we give love, we feel more love. When we offer kindness, we experience more kindness. When we share compassion, we feel more compassionate... those "good feelings" actually come from within us, not from an external source.

And so, being kind to others is really a form of kindness to ourselves.

What do YOU think? When did you last do something kind and loving for another? Did you feel better, simply as a result of "giving," without getting anything specific in return? Does it seem to you that we can often do positive things, and still feel positive... even if we don't immediately get "something in return?" Leave a comment-- share your experience-- start the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)

For myself, having a positive focus is self-fulfilling. Many people respond well to my demeanor.

I feel for the people we live with that may suffer from mental illness or disease which prevents them from being able to mentally sustain a positive focus. To me, helping people stay positive when it's difficult for them is one of the better things you can do.

Precisely! We tend to attract what we are. Most of us like to be around authentically positive people; we tend to become more positive ourselves as a result of the experience. Similarly, when we keep a positive focus, others are attracted to that.

This is some great words. i think that this is a great way to spend your life. doing things for others.

although there is a difference on compassion and enabling others, in what you think would be good for them.
what do you think of this? as it has been a thought of mine for a while but i have not had much opprotunity to talk about this idea.

thank you for your time and i hope that you have a good one!

Well, "enabling" is a whole different kettle of fish as it usually involves affirming negative behavior... helping doesn't have to mean we protect someone from the consequences of their choices. Sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do is to allow another to fail and experience their failure... to they can grow from rebuilding their toxic belief systems.

I have been practicing this for awhile and it has changed my life forever. I love to interact now (used to be an introvert). It is not a challenge each day to feel love towards my fellow humans. I realized very quickly that love to others brings so much love to me. I really like this post. Thanks. Namaste and love.

Thanks four your thoughtful comment! It is a good way to approach life; that said we must also remember to be discerning in where we place our energies. Some people are not open to receiving, sadly. Namaste and bright blessings to you!

Yeah right. Helping and be kind with others offers self satisfaction which drives us to help more.

Precisely! It may not be "selfish," but we do get a lift from kind acts... seeing happiness in someone else is inspiring.

And if everybody in the world has the same heart, what a wonderful world it would be.

A wonderful kind post with lovely pictures)

Thank you for your kind words!

One does not harm another without harming himself in the process.