we can teach our children
to be kind
but then
they are released
into the real world
and find that kindness
is often not to be found
along with kindness
we need to teach them
to be tough
to have limits
to never be a doormat
for anyone
to always do the
RIGHT
thing
to be strong
and never be afraid
to stand alone
for what they believe in
Picture: Pixabay
it doesn’t matter
what species
every living thing
should be treated
with respect
and kindness
EVERY
species
has the right
to LIVE
and not be
seen as food
clothing
or car seats
all of us
should stop
killing each other
for any reason
always
choose
KINDNESS
Photo: Honza Reznik
Unsplash
People re always writing about how precious life is, how wonderful it is to be alive. I just read something by a physicist the other day, who wrote that very thing.
But the truth is, life doesn’t seem precious, or wonderful, to a lot of people. Suicide is always on the rise. Torture, terror, suffering, poverty, war, starvation, no clean water, or medical availability…and all the rest, don’t always make for a precious, or wonderful, life for millions of people. I’m not saying that people in dire straights aren’t happy, because they certainly can be, but as a whole, I think a lot of humans are afraid and miserable, living on the edge. Depends on your circumstances, a lot of the times. Not always, of course.
We have absolutely nothing TO compare life with. Death might be fantastic. A new start, away from here. If the NDE (Near Death Experiencers) are right, and there are a LOT of them, then no one wants to come back here. They FIGHT to stay on the other side. So, what’s everyone talking about…this precious and wonderful life? Again…compared to what?
When you sleep, you don’t long to be awake so you can live your precious life. You don’t feel anything, unless you have a nightmare.
This isn’t a great place, unless you’re into violence and destruction. Sure there’s beauty all around us, at least for the moment, until we destroy it. The Ukraine was beautiful, now it is simply dirt and dead bodies. That’s what our species does. And people can argue with that, but it’s still the truth. There used to be peace time, between wars, until greed took over, now war is a constant.
Horrible things happen to people everyday. Some fight to stay alive, other say, “I’m done,” and check out. Still others are afraid to leave, but they’ll go anyway…no choice.
If people really believed that life was precious, or wonderful, they wouldn’t allow wars to exist. They wouldn’t allow violence against animals, women or children to exist. It’s only because people don’t really believe that life is precious, or wonderful, that those things are allowed to continue, well, that and the fact that men are in charge and the current belief is that some lives are way more precious than others.
If we believed that life was precious, no one would be hungry, or discriminated against. Equality would be the only thing that mattered.
Life, like everything else, is relative. But if life is only precious on a personal basis, then it’s just more of the same. The real problem is that people don’t like each other. Not if they don’t think alike. That, and the fact that greed and power can destroy entire countries and maybe the world itself. We will never get along, unless something so horrendous happens, that we’re forced to put aside our differences and all ten of us have to work together until it’s over. Studies have shown that people work well together until a crisis is over, after which they go back to disliking each other agin. So what hope is there, on a grand scale?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not actually writing about precious lives, I’m just saying that we should stop writing about it, since it’s just another saying, that might be written on a piece of wood.
A couple days ago, a woman went jogging. They found her body later. They caught the guy who did it. He just got out of jail after serving 20 years, for doing the same thing, I guess. He did it again…right away. Another dead woman. Women’s lives aren’t all that precious, or wonderful. If they were, men wouldn’t keep raping, beating and killing us.
And now…a few words about kindness.
The reason kindness can make some people cry, or is always remembered, is because it’s so rare. Kindness, is not the norm, so when it happens, people can become overwhelmed. It’s not that a lot of people aren’t kind…they are…kindness takes place all the time, but it’s usually surprising and people are grateful for it…because it stands out. If kindness was common, we would take it for granted, like we do everything else. We can’t help doing that, it’s what we are.
This is a weird place to be, and we have made it exactly what it is.
Hey, I’m just sayin’.
Photo: Julia Kadel
Unsplash
to me
LOVE
means
kindness
consideration
and
thoughtfulness
but mostly
kindness
a lot of good things
fall under that heading
so that’s
what I think
we need a LOT more of
KINDNESS
I’m going to start
spreading more of it
around
Photo: Shaira Dela Peña
Unsplash
kindness has nothing to do
with political party lines
religion
institutions
gangs
rival teams
or anything else
kindness is acting
from your heart
without thinking
when the need arises
or when a smile
and a hello
happens on its own
KINDNES
is what can
save the world
not love
not prayers
not hope
or good wishes
kindness
because true kindness
has no agenda
or strings attached
it just is
Photo: Sierra Houk
Unsplash
I’ve heard so many stories about women who, when shown a bit of kindness, or consideration, burst into tears or are so grateful, they can barely speak. Women who are mentally, or physically abused by their partners.
See, here’s the thing: they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the rare moment of kindness they get from the mean and thoughtless men in their lives. Kindness should NEVER be so rare, that it makes people cry.
I remember the story of a woman who, when with a new male in her life, burst into tears because he poured a cup of coffee for her. That was such a foreign act of kindness in her life, she fell apart.
I think cruelty and hatefulness, meanness, and lack of respect should be acts that STAND OUT, not kindness. Unfortunately, those things are common today.
I don’t think any of us should taken generosity and kindness for granted, but I do think that should be the basis of a relationship. Respect, thoughtfulness, consideration, sharing and all good things, should make up the bond between people who love and care for each other.
So many women are isolated and live in fear. So many women are told over and over again how worthless they are. So many women believe the lies they are told by the men they live with.
The world is not a nice place for a lot of people. In my book, no one should cry because the man she’s with poures her a cup of coffee. No one. To be that beaten down, that that simple act, was a kindness she never had, makes me sick.
This is not an unusual story. It’s just the one I chose to write about. It’s so simple and deadly. To live a life without love, respect, compassion and kindness is _____________, you fill in the blank.
We need more love in the world. We need more kindness. We will never love everyone. It’s not possible, but I think we can be a bit more kind and polite. No one can even define what love means. Ask the billions of people who are divorced about their definitions.
We can be kind to strangers, without loving them. We don’t have to love people to open a door for them. Love isn’t something everyone can do, or give, but kindness is. Being polite doesn’t carry any meaning and it’s short term. We can’t love everyone, and not everyone wants to be loved by others. That’s an IMPORTANT point. Many people do not want someone’s love, or attention. Kindness is a different thing, but even then, people have to be careful not to intrude or over step their bounds. Every word has its own definition.
We need to be more realistic about what is possible. Loving everyone is not possible. It never was and never will be. We can’t even protect children from their parents. We can’t actually DO anything, to stop the hatred and violence that is everywhere, so loving everyone is a joke.
We need to come up with better solutions and get real, if we truly want things to change. We need to forget about loving each other and try for something that’s possible. Being polite. Being kind. And even then…what will we do with those who are filled with hatred and violence? Those who only want power over others and more for themselves?
Look at it this way. When someone is simply kind, it can make the news, because it’s that rare. Think about that. An act of kindness can be newsworthy, in a world where hatred and violence are the norm.
We need to forget about love and just try to be more polite until we can think of something better.
And, by the way, the cat in the picture could take the dog in a second. The cat has all the power. All she has to do is change her mind about being civil, and the dog’s toast. Just like in human life. Exactly like in human life. It’s not the one who has the most toys who wins, it’s the one who has the most power over us.
Rethinking Life 
Recent Comments