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What does Kindness mean to you?
For me the opposite of kindness is forcing, an attitude of violence. I have always thought that violence comes from violation, when I violate the basic principles of life then I create a force in what I do.
There are so many acts of physical violence in the world but disrespect towards both myself and others is considered violence.
Reducing someone’s self-respect can also be classified as a less obvious form of violence.
But what does it mean to deprive myself of self-respect?
When I deprive myself of the understanding of who I really am and when I reduce the greatness of someone else, this is violence. Have you ever done this to yourself? Have you strayed from your simple essence and beauty and instead fueled critical and self-deprecating thoughts?
We say to the other “you are always like this! I would never change!” In this way I induce him to distance himself from himself, from his potential self-respect.
We have seen how one form of violence is not respecting oneself, the second is not respecting others and the third type of violence is when we do not respect time. Accepting that everything happens in his time is an act of kindness and if there is a violation of time it is like eating an unripe fruit.
Have you ever tried to eat an unripe fruit? Or to open an egg before the chick is ready?
Someone has tried to make a butterfly come out of its cocoon ahead of time, convinced that it would help it last less effort, but when the process is not mature, there will always be a flaw in its result.
So kindness is first of all having respect.
In a world that often values tenacity and resilience above all else, which sacrifices listening and respect in favor of haste and consumerism, the concepts of kindness, respect and sensitivity can often be misunderstood. They are in fact seen as signs of weakness, vulnerability or naivety. However, from the perspective of Mindfulness and neuroscience, it becomes clear that kindness and sensitivity are not weaknesses at all, but rather sources of great strength.
Because to use kindness to strengthen self-expression in life, you must, first, become strong. Being able to support yourself, to express yourself in the world. With strength and kindness. Only kindness, referring to profound spiritual and moral qualities, allows you to keep your vision firm, strengthen your spirit, assert yourself in the world without the need to please or give in to others, remaining in tune with your own sensations and emotions and with those of those around us. These traits are often associated with empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence.
Because, when you get angry, you scream, you attack, you lose. When feelings like fear, anger and derivatives inside you are many, so many that they overshadow the peace and joy of the moment, you lose. Even if you give up expressing and being yourself in the world, you lose. To be strong without prevaricating, defend your just rights while maintaining full balance, decide that you want to be yourself, without coming into conflict with others, indeed, recognizing the same freedom to others, you need to be kind, of your full balance, and full balance needs your strength to maintain it. Is critical.
Inner strength allows you to choose kindness as a vehicle for your expression and manifestation. That being noble and positive, acting as if everything you do is always of the utmost value, even the smallest, every word you say, every person you meet, is fundamental to your life. And only this orientation allows you to really resist in difficult times.
Mindfulness: The practice of Kindness
From a mindfulness perspective, the practice of being fully present and aware in the moment can improve our ability to be kind and sensitive. When we are mindful, we are better able to recognize and regulate our emotions, which allows us to respond to others with empathy and compassion. Research has shown that mindfulness practices can increase activity in brain regions associated with empathy and emotional regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex and insula, which are involved in processing emotions and empathy, leading to greater resilience and emotional well-being.
Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to experience, suggests that we can cultivate kindness and sensitivity through daily meditation practice and intention. This implies the choice to be aware and present, as best we can, gently returning attention to reality and clearly, in an impartial manner, even what we do not like what we observe.
An effective way to integrate kindness into our communication skills. Our voice can be an instrument of kindness, whether in the words we choose, the tone we use, or the way we listen to others. This involves active listening, empathy and awareness. By truly listening to others without judgment, seeking to understand their perspective, and responding with empathy and compassion, we can foster deeper connections and build stronger relationships.
By speaking with kindness and compassion, we can create a more positive and supportive environment for ourselves and those around us.
Consult our online Mindfulness courses here
Kindness is the choice of our humanity. Because without a moral, ethical, social spirit of civility and respect, everything suffers. Every human being suffers, even you. From this choice, to be kind to ourselves, to feel good, to feel strong, to not be dragged into dissonant emotional attitudes, into thoughts of negative value, a profound sense of satisfaction arises: knowing that you choose who you are, and you are, because you want to be, and you don’t change because others aren’t.
I greet you with an exercise: The kindness muscle
A small Mindfulness exercise to raise the environmental rate of kindness. It takes 60 seconds per day. We use this small moment to make a kind gesture towards someone. It doesn’t matter who the recipient is (it can be a friend or family member, but also a stranger – in fact, the more unlikely and difficult the recipient is, the more the exercise produces surprising results). And the gesture doesn’t matter (it can be a simple smile, a hug, a gift, a small favor, a word of comfort…). And it doesn’t even matter whether the gesture is inspired or not, because the inspiration will come, with time it will come.
Kindness, in fact, is like a muscle and like a muscle it can have different dimensions and extensions, and like a muscle it can be trained, strengthened, re-educated. Every kind gesture reactivates ancient memories and reactivates cells in our heart. And it also prompts similar reactions in those close to us. If we had the ability to see the world from above we would notice a small light turning on for every kind gesture (kindness generates light, and not only on the subtle planes), so think what could happen in a few weeks if everyone carried forward this commitment. .
