"I help kindness" is one of the most beautiful sayings in the English language. It's simple, powerful and yet so representative of a much larger truth. A fact that bears repeating: Helping kindness will make you feel better and help others to feel better too. How is it possible to help kindness?
We all have an innate capacity to extend kindness to others. This inherent capacity, when developed to its fullest capacity, makes us happier and more fulfilled. It makes us less self-absorbed and more attentive to the needs of others. In others' eyes, we become more generous and vulnerable because we are more aware of how the world views us.
When we help others to express their true feelings and to gain new insight from their experience, we develop a generosity that radiates out from us and touches others. We draw warmth and support from them. Our presence feeds their creativity and gives them courage to follow their own dreams.
As we grow in our awareness of the vastness of the universe, kindness becomes more valuable than self-interest. Self-interest only serves to reduce the value of our own life. Kindness, on the other hand, can give us great joy and happiness. Self Interest breeds jealousy, which can eventually lead to hurt and even despair. But kindnesses always bring about happiness in others' lives.
For instance, consider a situation in which you witness an act of violence against another human being - in this case, your child or a loved one. If you do nothing, you are helping to enable this abuse to continue by upholding the offender. You are condoning what the offender is doing. You are also, unknowingly, contributing to the escalation of violence against others. The love you have for this person is not enough. You must have the strength to extend kindness to that person in order to help him or her - and yourself - feel safe again.
A second example will make the point clear. Have you ever met someone who seemed genuinely concerned about a stranger? Even if you didn't know that person very well, you sensed that this person cared about him - even if you couldn't see exactly what he or she was feeling. That kind of compassion and concern is not always showered upon us, usually through the words of those we least expect to listen to. When we lack this kind of consciousness, helping kindness becomes all too obvious.
Helping kindness is often expressed through acts of compassion. Those who practice the art of this expression tend to become compassionate toward those things that affect us directly. They are unlikely to harbor feelings of superiority or resentment - two factors that can make others feel threatened or unprotected. Instead, they choose to extend kindness to others - even when those others may not deserve it. This shows that they have developed an inner faith that all people deserve love and dignity.
Helping kindness is a very personal matter. Each of us has our own unique way of being compassionate toward others. If you find yourself struggling with expressing this compassion, you might want to try learning some gestures and expressions that express your innermost feelings without reference to others. In this way, you can help others see a kind, generous side of you that they had previously missed.
There are a number of ways to practice generosity. One way is to make a donation to a charity of your choice. This will not only help to support the charity, but will also demonstrate your genuine interest in others. The act of sharing your generosity will help others realize that you show no sense of selfishness in doing this. This may be a great catalyst for them to pursue the kind of happiness that you have been trying so hard to attain on your own.
There are a number of organizations that espouse the virtues of kindness. Many churches encourage this behavior among their members as part of their ongoing mission. Of course, there are also charitable organizations that offer assistance to those who need it. Many individuals choose to give away their unused or unwanted belongings in a spirit of kindness. These acts of kindness can go a long way towards building relationships with those who need it the most.
When we are striving to build relationships with others, kindness often takes a back seat. We become quick to take advantage of those who have less, or to put them in our debt. However, this should not be the case. If we want to truly be generous, we should show others that we value their needs, and that we have the luxury of giving them whatever we can in order to do so.
