Kindness

What is this?????

I'm guesing this won't get many replies, as I'm thinking maybe not many would be ready to "admit" it even to themselves if they are not yet able to do this.

My post was a question for people to articulate their thoughts though and that is usually why I post questions....as well as the fact that I don't know all the "answers" and there might just be someone somewhere other than me who is helped by or benefits from some of the replies.

I know I've sturggled with this sometimes in the past.

Typos. I love them.

I think that kindness can take many forms......kindness can be when we are there for someone when they are hurting or sick......a nice word to make them feel better, a prayer, a hug, a bowl of chicken soup.

Kindness can also take the form of letting someone know when they are wrong & not letting them go on thinking that what they are doing is right. This is a difficult type of kindness because most times it hurts & it is very very hard to be kind & firm at the same time.....but this is like the ideal parent. We can't let our childen run through the house with sissors knowing that they can hurt them selves badly just because they want to. Even if they throw a tantrum because we stop them, we know that it is for their own good that they need to be stopped. It is important for the parent to let their child know that they are stopping them because they love them & don't want them hurt....not because we don't love them. Of course, they don't want to hear what we have to say....they are having fun & may have no idea that what they are doing is even dangerous. There are many examples of this type of kindness that exist in life....& it is definitely the hardest one because it has to be done in a loving, nice way so that the understanding exists for what we are doing or saying isn't meant to be hurtful.

Being a loving parent has definitely tested this type of kindness.....but I have also found that this type of kindness was necessary in my marriage....& sometimes things have to happen for the good of everyone involved because somethings just can't continue the way they are going & have to be stopped.....& the kindness at times looks unkind but in reality, it is the best for all concerned.

This is my thoughts on kindness.....but I really like the chicken soup the best,
Debbie

Kindness to me Just a few thoughts. ..........is someone giving a helping hand.
Someone trying to help you threw your problems even when they have some of thier own.
Sometimes its just a smile
sometimes sitting and talking with the elderly
kindness can be expressed so many ways, a hug, a listen, a card, a picture, sometimes just sitting next to someone.
Not sure if I explained it to you, or expressed myself.

I find you ((((((((((fuzzy))))) to show alot of kindness.....TY

I know what it is ... not sure I can put it into words...wishing I could provide more of it to those around me...

a gentleness in dealing with others, I think

acceptance.... "being with a person where they are 'at' - just being there - silent but there",
a hot cup of coffee..when the "world has turned upside down", extending a "hand" when no one else will because the situation "weirds" others out, even you.. but you do it anyway, a "look" at a funeral that tells a person how much you feel there grief - when everyone else expects the person to put on a "face",

promising "forever and a day - and keeping it"

a light "touch" on a person's "arm"

"doing the right thing for the person, even though it hurts both of you"

Using Debbie's example of a child running through the house with a pair of scissors...

I've seen so many new parents stop that child by yelling at them, getting angry and sometimes even spanking the child. That's not necessary! You may need to take a hold of them suddenly and with a certain amount of force, getting their attention in a very dangerous situation, but you take the scissors away from them gently and explain, maybe even demonstrate how dangerous their actions are... but you tell them with kind words and a kind tone of voice... never forgetting to hug them and tell them how much you care for them.

It's almost certain that they won't listen the first time, but there's not need to get angry... or at least show that anger in it's raw state. You keep telling them as often as they need it... maybe to the point of not allowing them to play with scissors, for their own good... and you tell them so. You tell them or another person in the same words you would like to hear the same admonition.

Kindness could be whenever one places the needs of another ahead of one's own. I grant it may be possible to perform an unselfish act in an unkind or neutral way, but to me it begins there.

Kindness feels good. That's probably why we do it. I suspect even people who sneer at such an idea feel it down underneath, somewhere. They just wish they felt worthy of someone doing something kind to *them*.

? Was it Lincoln who said that his religion consisted of this: "When I do good I feel good, and when I do bad I feel bad."