Kindness

What is kindness?

This is a complicated question.  Kindness comes in many forms depending on your view of life.  But what is kindness in spirituality.

Initially we think kindness is about being to kind to people no matter what they do.  Kindness is mixed up with forgiveness.  Forgiving is healing.  Kindness is forgiving.  However, how far do you extend your kindness.  Do you extend to the point of allowing others to destroy?

People who are kind get abused.  Yes, that's right.  It happens in many forms.  Previously, I wrote about the path of truth.  The path of truth had to be travelled because kindness had failed.  Yes.  It had failed.  Why?  This is because people have learnt to abuse kind people as they are kind and they get away with bad behaviour.  Wanting to keep things peaceful is an act of kindness.  So, how far do you allow someone to abuse you?

When I was working in the public sector, I decided to find out the truth.  I found that I had been abused.  My kindness was in giving more than I should have.  In trying help minimize problems in the workplace, I was letting the managers abuse me.  Yes, kind people are treated like door mats.  The only act of kindness in this situation is to remove the abusing situation.  That means you have to get the perpetrators to face up to what they are doing.  Why should they continue and be allowed to continue with abusive behaviour.  Spirituality involves respect.  You must first respect yourself and be kind to you first.  That means seeking the truth and not letting you kindness be abused.  This is a hard thing for kind people do but it must be done.  And in helping those abusers face what they have done - this is the ultimate act of kindness.  Why?  Well you are helping them hopefully to stop abusing their spiritual path and you.  The more they act unkindly, the more they are going to build the negative energy.  So when you seriously think about kindness - this is the ultimate kind truth.

That's how I see things now.  I am looking out for my health, ensuring I can still feel respect for myself and at the same time, hopefully helping an abuser to see what they are doing and so not treat others badly.  It is Christians that quote Jesus 'Do onto others as you would do onto yourself'.  I think managers, people in position of power over others should be showing their kindness.  Craving power over others leads to abusing your position.  That is not an act of kindness.  The only way to deal with this is to ensure that you stand up and tell them their abuse is not acceptable.  More of us must learn to do that now.

So be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others.  Stop kindness being abused.