Kindness
“No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.” Aesop.
Did you know that Darwin believed that kindness and care for others was the result of evolution? He’s often associated with “survival of the fittest” but that is an over-simplistic view of his work. He also considered how positive kindness is for humankind.
What We Know About Kindness
We know that kindness is contagious. We are more likely to be kind to others after someone has been kind to us. So the idea of setting off a wave of kindness by random acts of kindness is more than a fuzzyheaded supposition.
We also know that acting on the impulse when the impulse is to be kind encourages more kindness. The old idea of breaking bread together has scientific validity since activities around a feast lead to more togetherness. Awareness of natural phenomena or something else awesome takes us out of ourselves and reminds us that a universe centered on a single person is a tiny and restricted one.
It is not surprising that gentle touch and kind words also give rise to kindness.
Authors Writing About Different Subjects Include Kindness
Ta-Neshisi-Coates In Between the World and Me wrote to his son about choosing kindness over fear. Carl Sagan in The Demon-Haunted World discussed responding to ignorance with compassion. Anne Lamott described kindness and forgiveness as the basis of self-esteem in Hallelujah Anyway Rediscovering Mercy.
My Experiences
I was a clinical psychologist for thirty years. I’m happy to say that when I meet former clients the word they use most to describe what they experienced from me is kindness.
Twice I have received a bone marrow transplant that reduced my immune system to that of a newborn child. I did not have the strength to go to the bathroom. I had a catheter and an adult commode next to the bed. I often lost track of time. Staying alive was a struggle. I was never suicidal but I would not have minded dying. They were the two worst periods of time in my life,
The few best memories I have of those times are of kindness. For example, once in a cancer center a clerk (non-medical staff) brought me a blanket when I was shivering, experiencing uncontrolled diarrhea and feeling absolutely miserable. I’m sure delivering blankets was not in her job description. I don’t know if she remembers the event but I will never forget it.
I believe my wife had a tougher time than I did. Her willingness to help me thorough weeks when I was nearly helpless still amazes me. I am alive because of her, her devotion and her kindness.
Did you know that Darwin believed that kindness and care for others was the result of evolution? He’s often associated with “survival of the fittest” but that is an over-simplistic view of his work. He also considered how positive kindness is for humankind.
What We Know About Kindness
We know that kindness is contagious. We are more likely to be kind to others after someone has been kind to us. So the idea of setting off a wave of kindness by random acts of kindness is more than a fuzzyheaded supposition.
We also know that acting on the impulse when the impulse is to be kind encourages more kindness. The old idea of breaking bread together has scientific validity since activities around a feast lead to more togetherness. Awareness of natural phenomena or something else awesome takes us out of ourselves and reminds us that a universe centered on a single person is a tiny and restricted one.
It is not surprising that gentle touch and kind words also give rise to kindness.
Authors Writing About Different Subjects Include Kindness
Ta-Neshisi-Coates In Between the World and Me wrote to his son about choosing kindness over fear. Carl Sagan in The Demon-Haunted World discussed responding to ignorance with compassion. Anne Lamott described kindness and forgiveness as the basis of self-esteem in Hallelujah Anyway Rediscovering Mercy.
My Experiences
I was a clinical psychologist for thirty years. I’m happy to say that when I meet former clients the word they use most to describe what they experienced from me is kindness.
Twice I have received a bone marrow transplant that reduced my immune system to that of a newborn child. I did not have the strength to go to the bathroom. I had a catheter and an adult commode next to the bed. I often lost track of time. Staying alive was a struggle. I was never suicidal but I would not have minded dying. They were the two worst periods of time in my life,
The few best memories I have of those times are of kindness. For example, once in a cancer center a clerk (non-medical staff) brought me a blanket when I was shivering, experiencing uncontrolled diarrhea and feeling absolutely miserable. I’m sure delivering blankets was not in her job description. I don’t know if she remembers the event but I will never forget it.
I believe my wife had a tougher time than I did. Her willingness to help me thorough weeks when I was nearly helpless still amazes me. I am alive because of her, her devotion and her kindness.
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