Kindness; a Quality Everyone Should Possess
Written by
Anthonia Folashade
Director for Welfare, Building Blocks for Peace Foundation
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” — Mahatma Ghandi
What comes to your mind when you come across this maxim? You are probably still considering the best reply to give? I’ll help you out!
Of a truth, the aphorism above isn’t just about the change everyone looks forward to; it’s also not only about one person having the ability to change the world. Instead, it’s something bigger, it’s about a movement that one person can start acting with defined intention.
In this context, the change is Kindness. Kindness is a tool that everyone can deploy to change the world. It can be a bridge to harmony and peace.
Meaning of Kindness
Kindness means many things to different people. It is a wave that doesn’t stop rolling. All that it requires is that push by just one person.
Kindness is an activator for genuine, positive change that happens slowly, but definitely lays the foundation for a brighter and better future as long as humans keep releasing it into the world.
Kindness is love. It means to be compassionate, caring, selfless, unreservedly kind… the list is long. The truth is you can only feel and understand kindness when you practice it.
Benefits of being kind
There are innumerable benefits to showing kindness to individuals some of which include happiness, contentment, bliss, etc. and apart from those, showing kindness helps to improve both physical and mental health of the doer and receiver, and it also stabilizes an unstable society.
How to be kind
According to the popular saying, “You cannot give what you do not possess”. So, for everybody across the world and peacebuilders especially, it is expedient to know that each of us has to be kind, thus, we have to daily crave to be kind, come what may.
Say no to violence
Make a personal pledge not to engage in violence. You may be wondering how this relates to peace. It sure does and here’s a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt to justify the point; “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
Reach out without restrictions
Do not hesitate to stretch out a helping hand to anyone in distress, not minding who they are. Here’s another way to show kindness to everyone around you without paying attention to their status. The big point; do not act like they don’t exist. Be kind!
Teach little ones to be kind to everyone
Teach the young ones to be kind to vulnerable people, including the aged, homeless, people with disabilities, and every other person who looks different to the child.
Choose your words wisely
Don’t be too quick to pronounce judgment. Don’t forget; a little crack in the wall is sufficient to tear a human and even a country apart, so, choose your words wisely.
Make showing kindness a habit
When you go about your daily activities, you’ll surely meet different people. Some of whom are faced with life’s challenges you never know. Wondering what to do? Look them in the eye, wear a beautiful smile, and don’t forget to say ‘hello’ to them. By doing so, you would have mended a broken heart with your pleasant smile and your carefully selected words.
Get involved with a peacebuilding organization
Join organizations working towards attaining peaceful coexistence in the society and make sure to stay committed to working with them. If you do not know of any peacebuilding organization to join yet, I recommend Building Blocks for Peace Foundation. To get started, click on their webpage for important information.
In a nutshell, you can show kindness by uttering kind words, by smiling, through surprises and unexpected good deeds. When we show acts of kindness, we make people feel good, we give them some sort of positive expectations, we show how powerful kindness is, and in the long run, we promote peace.
Yes! Showing an act of kindness can mean promoting peace. This is because every society, state, country, or continent can garner peace from kindness. So, today, if everyone decides to be kind instead of engaging in war, struggle or conflict, the world would become a better place for you and me, and the entire human race to live in.
Always remember, being kind to everyone is a very important pathway to peaceful coexistence, as such, ensure to possess and dish out this great quality, anyway.
