Of What Value Is Kindness?
Kind words have saved lives, can strengthen the downcasted, can raise hopes and bring succour to the helpless and hopeless.
By Taiye Olaniyi
Have you ever given a thought to the "Why" of, and, in "Kindness"? Kindness is no doubt a human attribute, attitude and mind disposition towards fellowman.
It seems a flow from within the inner being of man, propelled by conscience, "The eye of God in the heart of man", the "All-Seeing-Eye" manifesting in voluntary giving in positive thoughts, words and actions toward fellow man.
Kindness is a provision of what one has and shares with others, a procedure for give and take with interchange of how values are added to the lives of one who shows kindness and to whom it is shown.
Kindness can be shown or extended to others by those who have and are ready to give or share with those less privileged. It entails a lot of sacrifices, opportunity costs and giving away phenomena of values. All around us, we meet people, neighbours and acquaintances to whom we must extend kindness, and to whom we must give and share the best of what we have.
Sometimes, strangers deserve our kindness and relations and friends get favoured by what we give. Our kindness towards those known or unknown to us can save or amplify the lives, experiences and life encounters in a myriad of ways. Kind words have saved lives, can strengthen the downcasted, can raise hopes and bring succour to the helpless and hopeless.
In kindness, both the giver and receiver find joy while not denying the fact that instances abound that one's kindness may though hit the target so soothingly but yet rewarded harshly. Like Bob Marley once claimed in one of his lyrics, "Hatred you reward for our love telling us of your God above....."
Many have experienced pains in return for kindness shown to others, business deals have gone sour, family relationships gone awry and even in public administration several people have been implicated in regrets for just their acts of kindness.
Temptations may come in limiting one's kindness, some may even totally erase the word kindness from their thoughts, words and actions, it may be obliterated from the vocabulary of what positive actions one should have taken but left completely untaken.
As members of the same humanity and humankind, either religiously disposed or otherwise, kindness is obligatory for us, it is a spiritual mandate as well as mystical injunction in the spread of Light, Life and Love.
In the secret recess of our hearts, within the vaults of our minds and as treasure repository in our souls we have no other option than to emit kindness, radiate and vibrate it wherever we may find ourselves.
Humans and other vertebrates, reptiles, insects including plants around us as neighbours require our love, kindness and kindliness too.
In this season of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the pointer of the way to spiritual truth and the main portal to eternal life, let us always be reminded of the divine light with which we are entrusted while in chorus we join to reflect:
Try a Little Kindness
Lyrics by Mary McKee and The Genesis,
"If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he sowed
And If you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say you’re going the wrong way
You've got to try a little kindness, show a little kindness
Shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness you′ll overlook the blindness
Of the narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
That is the feeling, kindness the treasure that gives value to life in its entirety to humankind.”
Jimmy Cliff equally intoned, Too many people are suffering
“Too many people are sad
Too likable people got everything
While too many people got nothing
Remake the world
With love and happiness
Remake the world
Put your conscience to the test
Remake the world
North, south, east and west
Remake the world
Gotta prove that are the best, yeah”
May the God of our hearts direct us all towards the noble course of kindness, kindliness and Light, Life and Love.
Taiye Olaniyi, a retired Postman of the Nigeria Postal Service, is based in Lagos