Finding Your Power at a Time of Uncertainty. The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates As we continue to see extreme divisions in the United States, most of us are still trying to make sense of the outpouring of hatred and violence that is threatening a peaceful way forward. […]
Do We Belong to Each Other? Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone, who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy. Audre Lorde I have been pondering this question lately – Do we belong to each other? When we think of belonging, we usually think of owning something – that car belongs to me or this coat is mine. […]
Living with Kindness Makes Life a Celebration One should never, but never, pass by an opportunity to celebrate. j d malouf Life offers us so many opportunities to celebrate. We usually think of celebrating special moments in our life journey – anniversaries, birthdays, major accomplishments. At these times, we stop and enjoy the moment. Sharing with others – the exchange of love and appreciation – enriches the occasion. It […]
Creating a Worldwide Kindness Community There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met … William Butler Yeats Creating a Culture of Kindness We are communal beings. We have an instinct to come together, but our culture has created economic and social conditions that separate us from one another. Many people feel isolated and cut off from others. Kindness creates a bridge between us. Living with […]
Changing to a Culture of Kindness Change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things. Barack Obama We are in a time of dramatic change on Planet Earth. Many people believe that change happens outside of us, that we are pawns being moved around by some immutable fate that determines our lives. We see it differently. We know that many things are out of our control, but we […]
Compassion is the Heart of Kindness Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. – Dalai Lama By choosing to live with kindness, we also invited compassion to accompany us on our journey. Compassion is concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others, combined with a desire to help. It also has another dimension, which is usually ignored. It Begins with Self-Compassion If your compassion […]
Courage Empowers Our Kindness Journey Courage takes you out of your comfort zone and into your power center. Dr. Debra Reble Many people think that kindness is a wishy washy way of living. Quite the contrary, kindness is a powerful force for good in the world, and it becomes an even greater force when empowered by courage. The word “courage” comes from the French word “oeur”, which means “heart.” By […]
Embrace Curiosity on Your Kindness Journey If you understand each other, you will be kind to each other. John Steinbeck This is an update of a previous post. It is #4 of our series: The 9 Cs of Kindness. We all make judgments about others, based on attitudes we acquired from our families or from our own experiences. Over time, they become a part of us. When we withhold kindness […]
We’re All Connected in the Web of Life We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness. Thich Nhat Hanh As I write this, the world is watching the daily unfolding of horrors in Ukraine, as the war continues. The massive destruction of cities and infrastructure is hard to watch, and our hearts go out to the millions of people who have lost their homes, their livelihood, and the […]
