The Practice of Kindness

I could easily answer this by picking out one event and it would be effective, but I feel as though this question needs a more complete reflection.

First of all, what is kindness? To me it’s not doing something nice for someone, it’s doing it without expectation of a reward of any sort.  It should also be something done without expectation of recognition of any sort. If you are in a relationship with the person then it should be a matter of course that you would do something for them with no expectation of reward but it shouldn’t be unrecognised by the person in receipt of the kindness. So your family and friends should have the expectation of their loved ones going above and beyond. When I do something for my wife or children I don’t see it as doing something amazing, merely something expected. When they do something for me I wholeheartedly appreciate it but I see it as part of a loving relationship.

What about kindness in the work environment? Well, here you are faced with the question of motivation. Very few people will indulge in an act of kindness in their jobs without at least an unconscious reflection on how they will possibly be rewarded for it in terms of current or future progress in their career. I don’t think it’s always front and centre but if someone does something nice for a colleague, a manager or someone they manage, there is always that quid pro quo in the back of their mind whether they realise it or not.

So, based on the above, the idea of kindness is best attached to something that a stranger does for you. For me, the most obvious example of kindness came when I fell over a couple of months ago and did a lot of damage to my face. A couple who were nearby came over, helped me up, took my shopping bags from me and put them in the boot and then drove me home. It was an example of kindness the like of which I have never experienced before and I was so lucky that they were there for me. I never asked their names, being too dazed to do so, but I was so lucky that such kind people were there in my moment of need.