We live in the best of times and we live in the worst of times, my friends.
We, as a collective, have gone beyond the status quo. We live in a world filled with opportunities. Yes, we can have it all!
It’s an amazing time to be alive! Or is it?
We live in times where we get to choose the type of person we want to be in terms of our values and beliefs. How we act and conduct ourselves. The qualities we want to embrace and the bad habits we need to leave behind. No longer is it acceptable to say this is how I am. This is how I have always done things. The concept of personal development has worked wonders for the good people of this earth while striking a blow to those who refuse to change their negative ways.
We can change, my friends, in the fire of transformation, and rise like the phoenix from the ashes. We can die and be reborn in the same life, over and over again.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve found there are two qualities that I admire above all others. Kindness and Loyalty. Loyalty is another story for another day. If you are a genuinely kind person – you will have my heart.
Kindness – a kind act, good deed, act of kindness, good turn, favour, act of assistance, service, help, aid, according to an online dictionary but, for me, kindness goes beyond these examples.
Kindness is a way of living that evokes a sense of oneness between us all. The word itself “kin” “ness” implies a sense of kinship and similarity between us. Kindness is the way that we express this.
Living kindly is to live gently – with grace and with honour. It´s about having manners, my friends. Respecting yourself and others. To tread lightly – understanding that our actions affect all others.
Kindness is a way of living. An attitude, not a random act from time to time. It’s such a beautiful experience when kindness is reciprocated – an everlasting flow of goodwill, understanding and, when it comes down to it, love.
So – why do so many of us choose to live in the worst of times? To act and be unkind?
I’ve noticed that people who act in an unkind manner are usually very unkind to themselves.
The ones who stomp and shout, manipulate and scheme, spewing anger and hate, lie and cheat. The ones that live without thought or hurt the feelings of the people around them and the planet they live on are lacking in self-love, compassion and understanding for themselves.
Let’s face it – how can we respect others if we do not respect ourselves?
How can we be kind to others if we cannot be kind to ourselves?
And, the big question – how can we live kindly if we constantly encounter people who choose to live unkindly?
I’ve come to realise that you can do anything with kindness. You can say no with kindness. You can hold your boundaries with kindness. You can roar with kindness. You can cut people out of your life with kindness. You can fight for your life with kindness. Heck, you can even tell someone to fuck off with kindness (Helen Mirren is my shero) because you deserve your kindness most of all.
It’s about how you conduct yourself. How you stay in control.
Living kindly is not about being soft or a wimp. It takes incredible strength and courage not to fire off and get angry or react from jealousy or fear. To be in control of ourselves instead of trying to control and dominate others. To hold a line of respect for all human beings. A person who can live kindly has mastered themselves, their greatest adversary of all.
And the ones who live unkindly? If you have people in your life who treat you badly, it´s an act of kindness to protect yourself. They, too, can change if they choose, my friends, if they realise they are only hurting themselves.
Leaving you to live in kindness with people just like you. And the best thing? Kindness doesn’t cost a damn thing.
So, in a world where you can be anything…will you choose to live and be kind?
(c) Samantha Wilson 2019. All Rights Reserved,
