Kindness

The title may seem simplicity itself yet I choose to explain it. Helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped. We generally associate ‘kindness’ with being charitable and philanthropic. But, kindness is also your behaviour towards friends, towards those that serve you and towards strangers.
My first brush with people actually practising the teachings was when I read about Vasant Kalbag, founder of Kindness Unlimited. He was featured as an Everyday Hero in Readers’ Digest. A Mumbaikar senior citizen actively engaged in spreading the word of kindness. That lead to the discovery of helpothers, a website dedicated to making people kinder. Not by doing great deeds but by practising everyday kindness.

There have been instances where the simple acts of kindness that I witnessed have moved me greatly. There is a friend of mine who is excessively caring towards dogs. It is a wonder how patient and loving can she be towards strays. There are dog-lovers aplenty, but very few care about the ones on the streets. No wonder that if you stand with her, near a pack of dogs, soon you’ll be the centre of a group of wagging tails.

Another time, when I was travelling in a train with friends, one of them was overwhelmingly kind and polite to a girl asking for alms. Even after sharing his food with her, he remained polite till the time she moved from our seat which she did not do very willingly in the hope to still get more. People can be so unkind to those who can do nothing to them. Though I do not support begging, yet it is disturbing to see the tone in which people rebuke. The strong, sharp words just to emphasize how much they dislike the practice. Since she wasn’t moving, I’d asked him to be more firm with her. And the reply I got was that if he does then what will be the difference between him and others. That incident left a lasting impression on me.
Lastly,
“Kindness is the rent we must pay for the space we occupy on this planet.”