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| "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -Mark Twain |
Recently, I watched one of the Sunday news
morning shows which reported on a story about an act of kindness which I think many
of us would have never thought of doing.
The story was about a Starbucks barista who took it upon herself to
learn American Sign Language. This might
seem like it’s not that special an act of kindness or that important until you
understand why she did it. You see,
there was a regular customer who came in for coffee every day that is
deaf. Each time he came in to order it
was an ordeal and most times a hassle. Then one morning he came in and the
barista gave him a note that said “I am learning ASL – American Sign Language
so I can help you better.” It not only
helped them both, it changed the customer’s life. During the story, he said through an
interpreter that no one had ever done something so kind for him, let alone
someone working at a business. He said
she made him feel like all the rest of the customers, which made him feel like
he fit in. This simple act of kindness
meant a great deal to him.
After watching the story, it got me to
thinking about what the word kindness means.
What does it mean to be kinds in a world that seems to have lost its
kindness? The Australian Kindness
Movement describes kindness as “a spontaneous act or gesture of goodwill
towards someone or something, our fellow humans, the animal kingdom, and the
kingdom of nature.” When you carry out
an act of kindness it is a message from one heart to another. It’s an act of love where you are making an
unspoken “I CARE” statement. Just like
in the Starbucks barista story – what made the story so special was the actions
by the barista was truly an unspoken statement of “I CARE”.
The thing is, many of us don’t realize
that we are giving and receiving many acts of kindness every day. When we give a smile, greet people, help
others whether they are friends or not are all acts of kindness. An act of kindness can be as simple as a
smile when someone needs to see one or a compliment when one is needed or a
positive outlook when the going is tough or by doing something for someone just
like the Starbucks barista did.
What if we all decided to do a daily
act of kindness, what a difference we all could make. Our daily acts of kindness can change
society; we could change the world. Our
acts of kindness could stop the downward spiral of our society that is fueled
by selfishness, materialism and greed.
Doing daily acts of kindness can enhance the feelings of belonging by
those in the community who feel like they don’t belong. Daily acts of kindness can bring about a
greater sense of meaning and purpose to everyone not just the select few.
In its simplest form, kindness means
you are nice and considerate to others.
That you don’t need to have a reason for being kind that it’s just
something you do simply because it’s the right way to treat others. When I think back on times when I thought I
was being kind and doing what was good or right I ask myself, “Good or Right by
WHOM?” By me, by others, by
society? I believe kindness starts at
home. It’s all about being true to your own
feelings and values and expressing those feelings with other people. If you are not acting in a way that is kind
to yourself, how will you be able to act kind towards others?
Lending someone money you know will be
used to support their drug problem, alcohol problem or to rack up more debt is
not kindness. Telling them you’re not
going to lend them the money but will do everything reasonable to support them
on their journey is. Kindness isn’t about
heaping holier-than-thou judgement on someone in whatever their situation. Kindness is finding the compassion and
understanding for where they’re at in their life while maintaining your own
boundaries and respecting your own needs.
Kindness is accepting where others are and not trying to change them to
be more like what you think they should be.
Kindness can be difficult. It can mean watching people slide into a dark
place and then face the consequences of their actions. True kindness can be tough and there will be
times where it will leave us feeling less kind.
What acts of kindness have you done lately? If you haven’t, why haven’t you? How important is being kind to you? All important questions to consider.
Mark twain said “Kindness is the
language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Kindness is the universal language that is
understood beyond boundaries. We all
understand and can speak this language.
Who have you helped make feel better, what have you done to make a more
positive place, when was the last time you used the universal language of
kindness?
