The idea that nice people always come last isn’t true, then why do most people want to be perceived as such? Because being kind is a reward onto itself.
Most individuals aspire to be “good.” But our human nature, as messy and complicated as it is, often fights that imperative with conduct less becoming. The mere mention of the word kind conjures certain images, mostly charitable to be sure. Kindness, however, is a quality that is rarely, if ever associated with qualities that are widely valued in the modern age: assertiveness, courage, even intelligence. And yet, kindness, as defined here, is a persistent ethical consciousness, supported by action. It is compelled by intelligence, good intention and moral eptitude.
Society is currently being driven by a kind of corporate mentality that lauds the disingenuous encouragement of “charity” and “transparency,” while simultaneously speaking of “leadership,” “drivers of success” and “favourable outcomes”. As if these two, kindness and success, are mutually exclusive. They are, in fact, perfectly compatible.
Random Acts of Kindness
Helping a senior across the road, giving up a seat on the bus to a child, cooking soup for a sick friend, buying a cup of coffee and a donut for the homeless guy panhandling outside the Tim Hortons – each of these is an act of kindness. Each of these actions requires some intellectual calculation, a weighing of consequences, a conscious discernment, a reasonable expectation of a certain result. What the doer may not anticipate immediately is the long-term benefits, long espoused in religious texts and cultures: karma in Hinduism, the sowing of seeds in Christianity and Judaism.
We Reap What We Sow
Simply put, what one does now will surely work its way back to the doer. Author and evangelist Joel Osteen, in his book Your Best Life Now (FaithWorks, 2004) claims that “how we treat other people can have a great impact on the degree of blessings…we are experiencing in our lives.” Most people suspect just that. On an unconscious level they recognize the truth in the theological notion that every kindness that is done onto others, will eventually be repaid to the doer in full. Kindness then, is neither unintelligent nor random.
Writer Stefan Einhorn, in The Art of Being Kind (Pegasus Books, 2007) refers to “ethical intelligence,” or the quality of morality inherent in a “kind” person, the quality that compels them to behave ethically, to help others as a matter of near-compulsion.
Despite the pervasive message that kindness is for wimps, and is contrary to being strong and assertive; that it is ingratiation and weakness, most people are in fact, fundamentally good, and want to be perceived as such.
Compassion Determines Happiness
Ultimately being kind is good for both the giver and receiver. It is at the root of civility, social sophistication, social order, and long-term success. And although it has not been perceived as a quality of strength, the conscious choice of doing the right thing, and helping another, is the very thing that may well be the determinant of a like future.
Conclusion:
Kindness is a persistent ethical consciousness, supported by action. It is compelled by intelligence, good intention and moral eptitude. Kindness is rarely associated with qualities that are widely valued in the modern age: assertiveness, courage, intelligence. The mere mention of the word kind conjures certain images. How we treat people has a significant influence on the degree to which we receive blessings in our life.
It is good for both people to be kind. The conscious choice of doing the right thing, and helping another, is the very thing that may well be the determinant of a like future.
