What is kindness? The dictionary tells us that Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. It costs nothing to be kind. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible” (The 14th Dalai Lama).
Kindness comes in different forms. It is a doing word. It compels one to act in a positive way towards another human being. Kindness begins with a smile of acceptance, to recognise the worth in another person.
The opportunity for kindness is everywhere. If we just take the time to look we will find it starring out in our faces… That old lady struggling to cross the road; that hungry child that needs something to eat; the sick man in hospital who gets no visitors; the young girl who was raped… The list goes on and on. All of these are crying out for love, for a gentle touch, for kindness.
Kindness demands sacrifice. To sacrifice something that we ourselves need for the sake of someone who needs it more than we do, is a big act of kindness. Giving a compliment to someone can brighten their day and boost their confidence. A word of encouragement can help a person to do their best and achieve their goals in life.
To bless someone with our warm smiles as we greet them, can set a good tone to their day. To value someone and honour them for their presence in our lives is also an act of kindness. To be mindful of someone especially when they are going through a tough time can help them to face life through a simple gesture like a telephone call, or sending them a kind note saying, “I am thinking and praying for you”, through a text message, can do wonders to their self-esteem.
Kindness has lots of faces. It doesn’t matter whether we are rich or poor, learned or illiterate, single, married, a child or adult, dark skinned or light, kindness can be given by anyone.
How about the unkind people around us? Do they deserve kindness? The answer is a resounding “Yes”. It is precisely the people who are unkind to us, that we need to show kindness and love to. If we treat people unkindly just because they were unkind and rude to us, our world becomes small and the conflict continues to fester which gives birth to hate. However, when we show kindness to those who treat us badly, our world expands and we become products of wholeness and healing for others. We should not judge people because we do not know what battles they are facing inside. Instead, we should be kind and selfless and then we will win many friends that way. Nothing is gained by “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” principle. Wikipedia explains this concept as follows: “An eye for an eye” is a commandment found in the Book of Exodus 21:23–27 expressing the principle of reciprocal justice, measure for measure. In Roman civilization, the law of retaliation bears the same principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree by the injured party”. I do not believe in this “eye for an eye” justice. If I and everyone else believed it, then we will all become toothless and blind. The world will suffer and we will suffer.
What did Jesus say about Kindness? He said, in the Gospel…
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Let us allow the Lord to erase the animosity from our hearts and allow Him to give us new hearts to love with, to heal the world with and to heal ourselves with.
Let us go out there and make a difference with our kindness and love. As the song goes, let us “Reach out and touch, somebody’s hand, make this world a better place, if you can”. The world would be a much better place, if we try.
Sr Columbia Fernandez O.P
22 October 2022