Kindness
What is kindness? What does it mean to be kind? There are dozens of things that I could list that could be considered kind, but we’re not talking about kind acts… we’re talking about the “ness.” A kind act could be as simple as letting someone merge in traffic in front of you, or even paying for a strangers coffee when they frantically look for their wallet after ordering their double mocha, half-caf, froo-froo, whatchacallit drink from the local coffee shop. But what is the ness of kindness and, more importantly, how do you obtain kindness? After much contemplation on the matter, I’ve come to the conclusion that kindness doesn’t exist. Not in the sense that we think, anyway. You can’t buy it, but you can get it, you can’t have it, but… you can give it.
The cost of kindness
They say that nothing in this world is free, but it costs nothing to be nice to someone. To say “good morning” to a stranger, or to hold the door for someone who has their hands full. Offering a simple “pardon me” if you accidentally bump someone on the sidewalk, or even just holding in that fart while you’re on the elevator (you know who you are). Bringing a load of gifts to a homeless shelter could be expensive and volunteering to work at a food bank takes time that not everyone has. Donating your old clothes or your kids old toys doesn’t cost anything, though and bringing a casserole to a struggling family doesn’t take much time at all.
The traits of kindness
Perhaps, in order to figure out the “ness”, we need to identify some of the most common traits of kindness.
- Respect- respect for others and respect for yourself;
- Courtesy- being polite and courteous;
- Friendly- being nice just for the sake of being nice;
- Chivalry- opening doors or offering your seat to a woman or an elderly person;
- Manners- saying excuse me if you burp, or pardon me if you bump into someone;
- Polite- saying good morning or have a nice day when greeting someone;
- Gratitude- being appreciative of the things you have and the things you receive from others- and acknowledging it;
- Generous- giving to others without expecting anything in return;
- Mercy- not taking advantage of someone when they are down, weak or hurting.
These are just a few things off the top of my head that, I believe, define kindness.
Kindness is a virtue
We’ve all heard that kindness is a virtue and, according to the Oxford dictionary, a virtue is defined as “behavior showing high moral standards.” So, maybe figuring out the “ness” isn’t so complicated after all.
All it takes to have kindness is to practice being kind, regularly. Be polite, respectful, courteous, friendly, generous, gracious, chivalrous and merciful. Have good manners and treat people (and situations) the way that you would want to be treated (or the way you’d want your favorite relative or friend to be treated). Remember that everyone you meet has something in their life that they are dealing with that you don’t know about- be it a sick relative, stress at work, financial struggle, personal injury, emotional stress or even some psychological or physical insecurity. Lots of people put on a brave face, talk loud or puff their chest out and pretend to be alright, when they are actually feeling weak, insecure or afraid.
So, my advice to you is, if kindness is a virtue- be virtuous. If an opportunity presents itself where you can be nice, polite, generous, respectful, courteous, gracious, merciful or chivalrous… then do it. Spread good in the world. Let’s change how we treat each other and let’s make this world of ours a better place to live in, for all of us.
Let’s all start working toward being kind, and spreading kindness.
Until next time, MotoFriends,
Ride safe, and be kind.
