If There Was Ever a Time to Practice Kindness, It’s Now
Here’s Why
Let’s keep this very simple. There are a lot of things we, the collective we, throughout the world, need and want right now. Some people need food, housing, enough money to pay the rent, or proper healthcare. Some need to bury a loved one; others need help coping with homeschooling their children while working. Small business owners need financial relief.
And there’s more. We need real straight talk from politicians who speak from their hearts without arrogance. We need our leaders to show up without any personal agenda. No more do as I say, not as I do. No more treating people like their cogs in a machine. It’s time to cut all that out. Everyone will remember how our leaders behaved during this crisis. We need them to make a difference now like never before.
But there is one thing we need above and beyond it all, and that is kindness.
Without more kindness, we can just kiss the world that we want, goodbye. Kindness begins by knowing who you are — who you are deep inside. Are you your title? Are you a PhD.? Are you rich? Are you poor? Are you a person of fashion? A policeman? A plumber? No. We are none of these things. Those are just games we are playing, the roles we take on.
And if we want more kindness, we have to realize this: Humanity stands at a crossroads now. One path leads into a dark valley filled with arrogance, pessimism, and fear. The other leads to an opportunity to look deeply at ourselves, to rethink the direction of our lives, and to create a new and better future.
It is time to take care of ourselves, others, and this planet. It’s time to connect spiritually more than ever.
When we go within, we take care of ourselves, we become lit up, full of joy, inspiration, and happiness, and by so doing, we take care of others. When they interact with us, they see hope, and they feel our joy.
The messages of hope in mainstream media are easily outweighed by the stories of suffering, chaos, greed, and misinformation. Our minds and bodies are like sponges; we can absorb that negative energy. We need to keep our psyche clean to be healthy.
Indigenous people, tribes, clans, and slaves throughout civilization who have been removed from their land or exterminated did not stop singing, dancing, and finding joy in whatever they did have. They sustained themselves by bringing their heart into everyday life, no matter how hard it was.
Good things come through joy and light. Bravery and strength hold hands with empathy and kindness.
In many parts of the world, there is still some form of lockdown and isolation. We are social beings, and while we yearn for more human interaction right now, great learning awaits us if we understand we are on our own personal vision quest.
In a vision quest ritual, an individual is out in the wilderness for days without food, water, or shelter, facing their doubts, fears, and challenges. When they have this experience, they return with a new vision for themselves and the world.
This is the time to do our work, to connect to our higher self, and to question our beliefs and face our demons and shadows.
Give yourself time to contemplate, to go within and ask yourself what do I want to create? How do I want to be?
Keith J. Cunningham, best selling author, in his book, The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board, says “Happiness is only available through gratitude. It is gratitude that forces you to focus on the present and not the regrets of the past and the fears of the future. Fulfillment is only available by giving what you’ve got. The triumph of happiness and fulfillment is found through gratitude and contribution.”
With empathy for the suffering occurring throughout the world, we need to manifest joy, music, art, singing, and inspiration. There is no reason to feel guilty about being joyful.
We need joy to heal.
We need to accrue wisdom, not knowledge. Wisdom emerges from spirit and experience. Knowledge emerges from our minds.
Wisdom opens us up to what we so desperately need now- more kindness, more empathy. Wisdom tells us our true self is a speck of light, a spark of energy, a beautiful manifestation of living consciousness.
Let’s all be kinder to ourselves and each other and make the world a better place to live.
