Is Kindness Obsolete?
I found myself thinking today of just how sad it is that acts of kindness have been relegated (for the most part) to tragic incidents.
Why is it that we have somehow grown accustomed to painting kindness as a type of weakness? If you even think of it, the "okay scenario" in which we are "allowed" to showcase this trait is one in which we are allowed to show vulnerability.
Could it be then that the reason behind this misguided labeling lies in the fact that we have completely redefined kindness as vulnerability?
If anything, I have found that practicing kindness is a hard task. It takes a lot more courage and will power to show kindness as opposed to lashing out at somebody with hateful words. A lot of times, an act of kindness can even be ignored or rebuffed.
Overtime, I have certainly come to believe that whenever God commands something (in this case Ephesians 4:32), it is never easy nor possible by your own might.
This is especially more apparent in a world where assertiveness rules.
I am amazed by just how far one can go with the so-called claims of the benefits of assertiveness.
I have witnessed this in restaurants where someone will speak rudely to a waiter just so as to prove the effectiveness of being assertive in public.
I certainly believe that there is an appropriate place for assertiveness, but have you noticed that this mislabeling of kindness as a weakness has led to a surge in arrogance and so-called claims of assertiveness?
Do you know what is really sad about this whole thing?
I believe that we were intended to respond to kindness and assuring words. The lack of kindness among us just seems to dehumanise us and renders our societies almost intolerable.
I am afraid my frustration has shone through this post and I only took the liberty to say that because I believe that I am not the only one who thinks that kindness should not be relegated to rare occasions. In any case, a lack of it seems to "legitimise" the rise of camouflaged rudeness in the assertiveness movements in our societies.
So the next time you are tempted to "practice being more assertive", take a moment and ask yourself whether you are not really just angry and taking advantage of the situation to be rude.
I Bid You Shalom,
Jacqueline
Why is it that we have somehow grown accustomed to painting kindness as a type of weakness? If you even think of it, the "okay scenario" in which we are "allowed" to showcase this trait is one in which we are allowed to show vulnerability.
Could it be then that the reason behind this misguided labeling lies in the fact that we have completely redefined kindness as vulnerability?
If anything, I have found that practicing kindness is a hard task. It takes a lot more courage and will power to show kindness as opposed to lashing out at somebody with hateful words. A lot of times, an act of kindness can even be ignored or rebuffed.
Overtime, I have certainly come to believe that whenever God commands something (in this case Ephesians 4:32), it is never easy nor possible by your own might.
This is especially more apparent in a world where assertiveness rules.
I am amazed by just how far one can go with the so-called claims of the benefits of assertiveness.
I have witnessed this in restaurants where someone will speak rudely to a waiter just so as to prove the effectiveness of being assertive in public.
I certainly believe that there is an appropriate place for assertiveness, but have you noticed that this mislabeling of kindness as a weakness has led to a surge in arrogance and so-called claims of assertiveness?
Do you know what is really sad about this whole thing?
I believe that we were intended to respond to kindness and assuring words. The lack of kindness among us just seems to dehumanise us and renders our societies almost intolerable.
I am afraid my frustration has shone through this post and I only took the liberty to say that because I believe that I am not the only one who thinks that kindness should not be relegated to rare occasions. In any case, a lack of it seems to "legitimise" the rise of camouflaged rudeness in the assertiveness movements in our societies.
So the next time you are tempted to "practice being more assertive", take a moment and ask yourself whether you are not really just angry and taking advantage of the situation to be rude.
I Bid You Shalom,
Jacqueline
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