A day dedicated especially to kindness, world kindness day got me thinking about the meaning of kindness and the way it can transform hopelessness that arises from seeing the “dark” parts of people and life.
The kindness we receive from other people and our ability to “let it in”, is like a soothing balm during difficult times and with difficult emotions.
The suffering or obstacles our mind creates, is partly due to our inability to “notice” kindness. When we do allow kindness in, we begin to realize that although times are tough and there is a lot of ignorance and self-absorption in the world, that there is still so much kindness and beauty around us. We can allow ourselves to receive this kindness in so many ways.
For example, the kindness of the earth, in holding us and the trees and plants offering us oxygen to breathe. This is kindness. The occasional “check-in” from our loved ones, is kindness in action. The stranger on the street, smiling at us, is kindness. Yet, we do not notice these things. We mostly just notice the people and things that are “cruel” that are not “good enough”.
Our brains are wired to look at the negative. Rick Hansens work has shown that although our brains have a “negative bias” due to the purpose of survival, we can “rewire” this negative bias by finding the time to notice the “good” and the “heartfelt” moments so we can feed the heart, so to speak and become more joyful
What kindness can you notice in your life right now? What does that “noticing” do for the persistent suffering in your heart?
Looking into suffering 