The Wisdom of Kindness

The Wisdom of Kindness is often illustrated through stories of those who have been hurt or made angry. We often hear about a child being picked on in school and so decides to pick back up and hit the bully again. A person who is hurting may be advised not to let it happen again. Instead, the wise person will suggest that they forgive and try again in the future. When we forgive and try again, we are showing Kindness.


Kindness is shown by many things. For instance, a mother once gave baby food to her young daughter. The child took the food and ate it, but when her mother reprimanded her for doing so, she said "I only did what was best for Baby." The mother then repeated the action several more times until the mother got angry. The girl eventually felt guilt-ridden for disobeying her mother.

Kindness is shown in many other ways. The President of the United States once said, "If you want to win the peace of the world, don't give power to fear. Give strength to the power of love." In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "In fact, I have some bad news for you - there is no such thing as a human being with a perfect heart. The greatest among them is man."

There are those who think that Kindness is selfish. If we are kind to others, won't that be selfish? And aren't all actions in this world to serve one purpose? Isn't kindness a form of selfishness? After all, if we are kind to others, they will like us and they will be kind to us in return? Doesn't that make it a win-win scenario?

The reality is that Kindness is not selfish. When we are kind to others, they will repay us by being kind to us. Kindness makes others happy just by showing them that we care. It lifts their spirits.

Kindness is also what allows true friendship to develop. Kindness allows us to see what others are really thinking. It brings us into the presence of those qualities which are most important to us. It's not easy being kind to others, but with our unselfish sharing of our good and bad fortune with others who are kind to us, we find that our kind heartedness is reciprocated and that in time, our generosity will be returned without any expectation of anything in return.

Kindness is demonstrated through the way we hug and smile to the little ones who are trying so hard. It's demonstrated through our willingness to help and assist in others' need. It is demonstrated by our willingness to go above and beyond even what is required just to show our love. It is demonstrated by the smile and the kind expression on our faces when others are hurting.

Kindness is the basis for lasting relationships. Kindness is the foundation for building strong, unbreakable bonds. Kindness helps us make others feel good about themselves and makes them want to be around us. The wise know the wisdom of kindness and use it to build a life of prosperity, success, and joy.

The most effective way to demonstrate kindness is to reach out to others, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, color, or age. I have been blessed to work with some very diverse people and I have seen them excel both as individuals and as a team. When I see people reach out to others with kindness, I know that they truly own their hearts and really have good intentions - that they genuinely want to make other people happy.

Those who practice kindness know that the more you give, the more you receive. Kindness is also about putting yourself in a position to look beyond ourselves to others. It's about being responsible for your own well-being and having the ability to say "no." Kindness isn't selfish, and it definitely isn't self-centered. It's about reciprocating kindness - not receiving it.


As a teacher, I have found that my students respond positively and benefit enormously when I express the value of kindness to them. They don't need me to explain the principles of kindness to them. They already know how it benefits them. The rest is simply sharing a simple truth that brings satisfaction to their lives.