Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back!
Have you shown kindness to someone, or has someone else been kind to you? “Is kindness simply, the act of being nice to someone, or is there more to it? Annie Lowrey, a staff writer at The Atlantic writes:
“Kindness and its cousins—altruism, generosity, and so on—has societal effects as well. “Research has indicated that kindness is contagious.”
We all know the golden rule, “treat others the way you want to be treated.” The golden rule is said to be a moral principle which denotes that you should treat others the same way you would like to be treated yourself.
Although the golden rule may seem as if it is an old adage that is not useful in the twenty-first century that could not be further from the truth. Neuroscientists suggest that the quote have great value in the past as well as in the present. Additionally there are great health benefits when individuals apply the quote principle to their own lives.
“We are biologically wired to be kind towards one another. We also, biologically have the ability to further develop our ‘kindness trait,’ with daily practice of doing random acts of kindness.” They also explain, “when we are committed to practicing kindness on a regular basis it will impact our health in positive ways, especially when you do something kind for others without expecting anything in return: it makes you feel better, boosts serotonin and it eases anxiety.
“In today’s world, simple kindness is a revolutionary act!”
There is nothing stronger, more resilient, or more beautiful than a person who is willing to share kindness with the world.
This weekend, I receives a call from Kimberly Patterson, the owner of ‘Random Acts of Kindness’.
Kimberly Patterson. is a mom turned ‘kindness advocate. “More than anything in this world, kindness is the most important thing to me. I love what I do. I believe It is my gift to the world.”
Kimberly cares deeply about her rapport with each person she encounters. One of the things Kimberly finds setting her “acts of kindness” apart from others is her ability to leave others better than you found them. Kimbers says, “Our greatest contribution to this world is to leave others better than we have found them. I think some people encounter others, and they could care less about how they leave them. Mindfulness is a reminder to us all that every touch, matters, every word matters and every human exchange we make on a daily basis with one another – it all matters. Always try to leave people better than you found them. Keep in mind, every time we interact with someone, we are borrowing their time and energy. Think about it, what would our world look like if we left people in the same or better shape than we approached them?”
Kimberly sees her role in the world as a healer.
Research backs this up! Kindness is Good for Your Health’. Popular science books such as Franz De Waal’s The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society have re-asserted what Darwin himself observed: that humans have an enormous capacity for prosocial, cooperative and altruistic behavior. Social media is spreading kindness, business organizations are embracing it in many of the academic institutions’ initiatives steeped initiatives that are aimed at cultivating the kindness trait.
What would our world look like if we elevated kindness?
In the article, paying it forward, the writer points out, “Research proves that if we were to elevate kindness in our society that the recipient of acts of kindness will pay it forward, thereby resulting in a spread of prosocial behaviors through networks, hints at the potential for kindness to be socially transformative.”
Phillips and Taylor explained, “In the 19th century, kindness was seen as a bridge between the self and the others.”
Kimberly Patterson sees her role in the world as a healer. This week, my sisters and I received a call from the ‘acts of kindness’ guru, Kimberly Patterson. Kimberly asked if we could identify three mothers in Rochester, NY that would be happy to receive gift baskets on Mother’s day – Free. And we certainly did not disappoint! The miracle of kindness is that it is contagious and something we should all want to pass on and spread to many others.