Kindness changes the world. Most days if you watched the news you would think kindness doesn’t exist. Acts of kindness happen every day in many situations, all over the world. We have an infinite capacity to be kind if we have an open heart. Kindness usually comes in simple ways but has profound affects both on the receiver and the person who gives.
Work in the human services is often about being kind to those we serve. Most other work in which we interact with others offer us opportunities to be kind. If we are a member of a church or community, we have opportunities to be kind. When we are out in the world opportunities to act with kindness will present themselves.
Why is kindness so powerful? When we give to another, we enrich their life experience and we enrich our sense of self. Kindness comes back to us because the universe rewards positive action. The law of karma and the golden rule both support the idea that kindness comes back to us. We give however not to receive but to be kind to others.
Giving with compassion changes our relationship to others. When we give we expand out connection to each other. This giving from the heart is powerful and transforms us to be more of what we are capable of being. We can more fully realize our hearts capacities by interacting with our world from a place of kindness, caring and compassion. The more we love through kindness the more our heart opens. The more our hearts open the more we invite other hearts to open.
Acts of kindness can transform the world toward a compassionate planet where everyone matters and we all look out for each other. Kindness is needed today as much as ever in human history.
The following are acts of kindness we can integrate into our day and make a big difference:
Be kind in our words to others
Give a hand when you can
Listen with compassion
Reach out to someone who needs a friend
Give to those in need
Let go of judging and instead be accepting
Find your way to peace inside and spread it out into the world
Be more patient with others and yourself
Give of your time to organizations that help others
Help those that are going through a challenging time
Check in with people who may be lonely
Visit those who have experienced loss
Feed those who are hungry
Organize actions that give people their basic needs
Find what opens you to your compassionate heart and express it
Be present with people and give emotional support
What would you add to this list? Which acts of kindness do you do? Are you willing to do more?
