TALKING ABOUT KINDNESS BY @LUCKYDRUMS
What do you understand by kindness?
when we talk about kindness, a lot of closely related words come to mind like love , goodness, help, favour, care etc. these words bring to better understanding the concept of kindness
Origin of the word
Kindness comes from the Old English word ‘kyndnes’ meaning ‘nation’ or ‘produce, increase’. The word is further derived from the Middle English word ‘kindenes’ meaning ‘noble deeds’ or ‘courtesy’. The first recorded use of the word kindness was in the 14th century. source
kindness simply means doing good or being helpful. merriem Webster Dictionary difines it as;
- the state or quality of being kind.
- a kind deed or favour. Source
To me kindness as an action or deed from someone or people that renders help, bring smile, happiness , adds value to someone or improves the value of someone or something(ie the receiver or recipients)
kindness involves two parties , the giver and the receiver or recipients. and it is a positive act .
Who can show kindness and why ?
The act of kindness is not for an exclusive class , sect ,race , gender or tribe. it's a quality , it's a virtue and act we all can and should try to show and have because it's the only way we can make the world better .I think of it as an obligation to humanity.
we all can show kindness is different ways and at different levels. Example a young lad even though may not have money to give to an old person can just help them carry their luggage etc, kindness doesn't necessarily entail giving out material things, it could be just words of advice and encouragement
Has anyone shown you kindness before and how did you feel when you were shown kindness?
A lot of people have shown me acts of kindness, let me tell you about one spectacular event. Years back in my 1st year in college, I fell ill and couldn't do anything, my next door neighbor Mercy whom wasn't even a friend at that time saw how I had lost weight and how I looked sickly, she came to me and asked how I was doing , I told her I was I'll. she left her school works for that day, made food for me , got me drugs and was always checking up on me, making sure I was doing good until I recovered fully. Her act of kindness almost made me cry, I felt love and I was so touched. I can never forget her because of that day.
this is me helping/teaching a fellow student as an act of kindness
Do you think kindness is a virtue that should be cultivated by all and be demonstrated in a practical way?
Yes! , kindness I think is a virtue, it's one of the ways I think we can change people and change the world, I think we all need to cultivate this virtue or quality if we expect good from the world, kindness is contagious and will spread if we cultivate this virtue and demonstrate it practically by doing good deeds.
How did you learn kindness and where?
kindness can be learnt anywhere and everywhere. I am a teacher and I teach my pupils to be kind. kindness can be preached in our various religious worship places, taught about in schools and educational institutions and most importantly in the family institutions. people learn and understand kindness best when they are shown kindness, it's the best way to teach or preach kindness, being kind to people just changes the way they think and see life. they now know how it feels and what it means to be loved, so they see the need to be kind. This was how I learnt to be kind. My friend Mercy's act of kindness really made me to be conscious and deliberate about being kind, i learnt to be very kind after that day.
How will the world look like if everyone cultivates this quality?
indeed the world would be a better place if we all cultivate this virtue of kindness, things would be so easy and life would be less complex. It would turn out to be one happy paradise , kind people don't hurt others so love and happiness would just abound.
it's obvious that this world is lacking in this virtue and it's our collective task to share love and make this world a better place, we can only do that by our acts of kindness. so let's be kind and heal the world.