The power of kindness and respect

Published this for the first time in september 2006

 

The power of kindness and respect!

 

 

There is hunger for ordinary bread and there is hunger for love, for kindness, for thoughtfulness, and this is the great poverty that makes people suffer so much! -Mother Teresa

 

Sadly there is so much truth in these words. Shouldn't kindness and respect for oneanother be the elementary basics of humanity?

Why does it seem to be so difficult for many persons to put a smile on their face when they look at someone instead of a stern and cold look?

Does it really take so much more effort to say a kind word instead of a mean one?

Apparently it seems to be easier to some to put obstacles in the way of their opponents instead of offering a helping hand what could bring them to do the same back.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring - which all of them have the potential to make someone happy or to lighten up someone's day.

I'm convinced that many horrible wars could have been and would be prevented if the leaders of countries, of religions, of groups, and so on would in the first place try to understand their opponents and their motivations and treat each other with kindness and respect instead of defying them immediately only to demonstrate with pride their power and rigidity. There would be for sure less violence and hatred in this world.

Countries the same as people all over the globe could solve so many problems together and even complete each other. Life could be much easier for all of us and this world would be a better place to be.

 

If we want to change the world - we have to begin within ourselves!

 

Respect for ourselves guides our morals - respect for others guides our manners. -Laurence Sterne

 

How often do we hear on the radio or on TV

- ... an other random act of senseless violence ...

wouldn't it sound much better

- ... an other random act of senseless kindness ..

 

One day, Gandhi was running to get on a train, for there back then the train never stopped for the poor, and as he jumped up, his shoe slipped off his foot. Though he tried to grab it, he ended up watching helplessly as it fell to the tracks. Quickly, he grabbed the other one off his foot and threw it back down the tracks towards the first rapidly disappearing shoe.

People who saw this thought perhaps Gandhi had taken leave of his senses. His response to their mystified expressions was: "At least now if a poor person finds his way across my shoe he will soon come across its mate and end up with a good pair of shoes. (For most Indians back then a pair of good shoes was equivalent to a month's salary...)

 

One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness - it usually comes back to you!

 

Kind words do not much. Yet they accomplish much. -Blaise Pascal

 

Never look down on anybody - unless you're helping him up. -Jesse Jackson

 

It is never too late to start being kind and respectful, this little effort is never wasted. Please try to be kind and respectful to everyone you'll meet on your way through life - you'll certainly feel the happiness and warmth which will come back to you without a doubt. Be a good example for your kids as they always imitate their parents they will become kind and respectful adults that way.

 

During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely", the professor said "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. -Joann C.Jones

 

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. -Buddha

 

Author's Note

What is your opinion to this topic. We could make a discussion out of it.

Reviews

[Phill Oz O'fee]

In his New Year greeting (2008), UN Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann said prosperous countries were responsible for many of the troubles faced by poorer communities.

“All the most serious problems that are right now a source of so much pain to so many people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Oceania are man-made problems,” he said. “And for the most part, caused by those countries that are most developed in terms of material wealth.”

Unfortunately, little has changed in the last three years! It appears if we let our smile be our umbrella; we just end up with a mouth full of acid rain!

Thank you for sharing an antidotal composition of how hope, faith and a belief in humanity can make a difference. I’m on your side friend – come the (peaceful) revolution or should that be revelation?

Phillip

[Samuel Dickens]

You make many excellent points and I agree with all of them. Also, the quotes you give are profound. Too many of us give so little regard to those who we share this planet with, and it degrades us all. Sugar, not vinegar---love and kindness, not hate...that's what we need.

[Coyote Poetry]

Kind words and a helping hand can change the world. We hear of hate and violence on the new. I know of many people who do good things daily. The food banks have volunteers who gather food. People who go to the shelters and cook and help. I agree with this poem. A gentle and kind heart can open many doors and do great things. Thank you for the outstanding poem.
Coyote

[An owl on the moon]

So many topics are covered in the schools, but kindness and respect somehow get left off the list. This is a rich reminder of who we are and what we must strive to be, if the world is ever going to grow up... THANK YOU..

[Voice]

So true. I find myself thinking about many of the things you have said here. Great write!!

Voice