Kindness to All

 

                       Image comes from Getty Images, originally in an article from Inc.com

I was shopping on Friday at my favourite grocery store.  It was nice… not crowded and people seemed genuinely cheerful.  I was surprised when a store voice over announcement said, “Remember to be kind to one another.  It makes shopping easier.”  That is so true!  After the announcement, I was so impressed whenever I met another shopper in the aisles that they said things like hello, excuse me, or shared a smile. It seemed like everyone heard the announcement and that everyone proceeded to work on it.  Even the checkout folks who are quite cheerful on a normal day, seemed to be extra polite and chatty.  

The whole incident made me think about kindness.  To be kind to all, I think, is a real challenge because some people simply are not nice and some people have done horrible things.  To be kind to animals, I think, is much easier than being kind to people because an animal does not have the same back stabbing abilities that humans exhibit after you have been nice/kind to them.  Animals are grateful for help and kindness where people will sometimes complain to others about the kindness that they received.  

To show kindness to all without reservation and with compassion shows a greatness that is not often seen today.  The act of kindness without expectations shows the value of the Buddhist mantra, “Loving Kindness” which many of us work on in our daily lives.  Sometimes it is really difficult to be kind to a street person or to someone who was nasty to us yesterday.  It may be hard to say or to be kind when you feel repulsed by someone.  

The Angels say that kindness without conditions is a great way to increase one’s abundance and to expand one’s soul.  It makes me wonder if the Angels slipped an extra line into the daily store announcements so everyone would be kind to others.

Blessings.