Posts from the ‘Kindness’ Category

Kindness that Ties Shoes

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

“Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing
inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and
purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.”
― Naomi Shihab Nye, Words Under the Words: Selected Poems

Love overcomes fear
Wrestles it to the ground
Calling us to kindness
Simple acts
Ripple effects
Compassionat action
Tying shoes
Smile to a stranger
Opening a door
Peace walking in ordinary days
Cast light

“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection – or compassionate action.”― Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

Kindness Dwelling, Rising

“At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.”― Toni Morrison

“There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.” – John O’Donohue, Benedictus

Oneself
One to other
Other to many
Self to neighborhood to world
Daily work of hope, resolve, consistency, steadfastness, principles, joy, kindness
Love overcomes fear, anger, othering, selfishness, lies, gaslighting, division
Love overcomes
The “thing” I can do, especially when it’s hard, not my first response
Walk in love

“Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.”― Erich Fromm

Gentle and Kind

“. . . gentleness is stronger than severity, water is stronger than rock, love is stronger than force.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

“To hold our tongues when everyone is gossiping, to smile without hostility at people and institutions, to compensate for the shortage of love in the world with more love in small, private matters; to be more faithful in our work, to show greater patience, to forgo the cheap revenge obtainable from mockery and criticism: all these are things we can do. ”― Hermann Hesse

Reflecting rather than projecting.
Listening rather than answering.
Digging rather than skimming.
Diving rather than floating.
Softening rather than hardening.
Connecting rather than dividing.
Welcoming rather than othering.
Proximity rather than distancing.
Be gentle, kind and love well.
The “things” each can do to make a difference.

“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.”― Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund