Kindness Over Matter
Hey Friends,
You might have read the article by Josh Radnor (Ted Moseby of How I met your Mother) witht he same name. Apparently, he had a similar article even before. I had to do a small Life Skill topic for my one presentation. I took both the articles and did a little extract. Here is me presenting that. Hope you like it.
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“Kindness is not about payoffs and instant gratification. It is a low risk investment that appreciates over time.” - This is one thought that I read and has since then stayed with me. It certainly seems like the unkind—craven, wildly ambitious, stab-you-in-the-back types—are rewarded time and again. But bad behavior generally ensures a short shelf life. The question is really, What kind of person do you want to be once you've "gotten" somewhere?
It really shocks me when I encounter people who think kindness doesn't matter. Because I think it's pretty much the only thing that matters. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even—or rather, especially—when we prefer not to be. For me it’s simple and not entirely unselfish: When I’m kind, I feel good; when I’m not, I feel horrible. This is something that I have seen mostly in people employed in the Government sector, which is even made fun of, at times. People have developed an attitude that if we have reached a point, there is nothing that can bring us down. But we always forget, we are not the first people here and neither will we be the last. Real effort should be put to have people remember you for the period that you were there.
It's not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. Suddenly, I remember Charlie Chaplin's words “My pain may be the reason for somebody's laughter but my laughter should never become the reason for somebody's pain.” One of the best definitions I’ve heard of suffering is, “wanting things to be different than they are.” Think about this…problems are actually habitual and endlessly rehearsed patterns of thought. I think if we could look behind that curtain even for a second—we’d want to hug and help each other all day long. Each of us—in every moment—is making a contribution to the world through our thoughts, our words and our actions. I think we underestimate just how much power we have. And the one thing I've found to be true in every sphere of life: Whatever you put out there comes back to you in some form eventually. Hopefully, one day you look around and say, "Hey, I've got a pretty nice life full of fantastic people." If you have a better definition of success, I'd like to hear it.
No act of kindness or compassion is inconsequential. Such acts are contagious and felt in the collective. Kindness is not a suggestion. It’s an imperative. If you believe, as I do, that the state of the world is inextricably linked to our minds, that the external is a reflection of the internal, our minds are not in great shape. Every act of kindness, then, is not merely a sign of personal virtue. It's saving the planet—the ultimate fusion of environmentalism, spirituality, compassion and common sense.
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Don't forget to look for the original article :)
You might have read the article by Josh Radnor (Ted Moseby of How I met your Mother) witht he same name. Apparently, he had a similar article even before. I had to do a small Life Skill topic for my one presentation. I took both the articles and did a little extract. Here is me presenting that. Hope you like it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Kindness is not about payoffs and instant gratification. It is a low risk investment that appreciates over time.” - This is one thought that I read and has since then stayed with me. It certainly seems like the unkind—craven, wildly ambitious, stab-you-in-the-back types—are rewarded time and again. But bad behavior generally ensures a short shelf life. The question is really, What kind of person do you want to be once you've "gotten" somewhere?
It really shocks me when I encounter people who think kindness doesn't matter. Because I think it's pretty much the only thing that matters. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even—or rather, especially—when we prefer not to be. For me it’s simple and not entirely unselfish: When I’m kind, I feel good; when I’m not, I feel horrible. This is something that I have seen mostly in people employed in the Government sector, which is even made fun of, at times. People have developed an attitude that if we have reached a point, there is nothing that can bring us down. But we always forget, we are not the first people here and neither will we be the last. Real effort should be put to have people remember you for the period that you were there.
It's not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. Suddenly, I remember Charlie Chaplin's words “My pain may be the reason for somebody's laughter but my laughter should never become the reason for somebody's pain.” One of the best definitions I’ve heard of suffering is, “wanting things to be different than they are.” Think about this…problems are actually habitual and endlessly rehearsed patterns of thought. I think if we could look behind that curtain even for a second—we’d want to hug and help each other all day long. Each of us—in every moment—is making a contribution to the world through our thoughts, our words and our actions. I think we underestimate just how much power we have. And the one thing I've found to be true in every sphere of life: Whatever you put out there comes back to you in some form eventually. Hopefully, one day you look around and say, "Hey, I've got a pretty nice life full of fantastic people." If you have a better definition of success, I'd like to hear it.
No act of kindness or compassion is inconsequential. Such acts are contagious and felt in the collective. Kindness is not a suggestion. It’s an imperative. If you believe, as I do, that the state of the world is inextricably linked to our minds, that the external is a reflection of the internal, our minds are not in great shape. Every act of kindness, then, is not merely a sign of personal virtue. It's saving the planet—the ultimate fusion of environmentalism, spirituality, compassion and common sense.
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Don't forget to look for the original article :)
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