We all know someone who inspires us to be better. Someone who is kind, and has seemingly endless joy in life. Being on the receiving end of kindness, inspires a change of attitude. It can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and you think to yourself “I wish everyone could feel this way”. And so, you go about your daily life with the intent of showing kindness to another, and inspiring such a feeling in them. But, after time passes, the motivation to go out of your way to show kindness starts to fade.Kindness. I think It’s safe to say that the majority of people wish that the world could be a kinder place. When a stranger shows you kindness, does it not affect you? Does that random act of kindness not inspire you to show some form of kindness to another? This type of “pay-it-forward” rippling affect is not limited to kindness though.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic? You’re moving at the speed of a snail. The lane you’re in is ending ahead because, for some reason, the local council have decided that this perfectly decent road needs some work done to it. You’re frustrated because no one is letting you into the merging lane. It infuriates you that you are stuck in this lane that has ended and there have been at least 50 cars pass you, bumper to bumper, who have not given you space to merge into their lane. You finally are able to merge, and you continue at the speedy snail momentum of the traffic. Further along on your journey, you encounter more road works. This time however, you do not get stuck in the lane that is ending ahead. This time you refuse to let any car merge in front of you. You have the mindset of “pay-back” as you tail gate the car in front of you, not letting anyone in. Why is it that we go to that “pay-back” mentality, instead of remembering the frustration felt when in the same position. Why don’t we show empathy in this situation?
If you want a world of kindness, then BE KIND. It sounds too simple to be true, does it not? It’s a bit like views on weight loss. When I was overweight, my mother suggested that I try to eat healthy and do a bit of exercise. My response was that if it was that simple to lose weight, everyone would be doing it. In my mind, it was far more likely that I had some kind of thyroid problem contributing to my weight gain, as opposed to the huge amount of chocolate I was devouring. Change is hard. We resist it. We play down the effect the change can have, so that we can continue on the path that we are on.
Just imagine though, that the majority of people chose to show kindness on a regular basis in their every day lives? You think, “I am just one person, how can I effect such change in this world?” You forget the rippling effect. We all know someone who inspires us to be better. Someone who is kind, and has seemingly endless joy in life. Being on the receiving end of kindness, inspires a change of attitude. It can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and you think to yourself “I wish everyone could feel this way”. And so, you go about your daily life with the intent of showing kindness to another, and inspiring such a feeling in them. But, after time passes, the motivation to go out of your way to show kindness starts to fade.
How is it possible, to maintain this change of showing kindness? We need to break the habit of falling back into “payback mode”. We need to abolish the mentality of “ME versus THEM”. We need to stop separating and dividing the human race into categories and stereotypes. We need to keep an open mind. Mostly importantly, we must make a conscious choice to keep showing kindness, even when we are tired, cranky and not motivated to. Who are you showing kindness to, today?
-Hazel.
Hazel Moon 