Kindness as an instrument of war

 Last IHC meeting Todai Vogt had brought up Acts of Kindness, and it reminded me of a conversation I had with my brother a few weeks ago.  He was lamenting the state of the world.  Wars, poverty, violence, homelessness, political strife, rising costs of everything, drug addiction, climate change-caused natural disaster.  Everything seems to be getting worse and my little brother was feeling rather hopeless in the face of it all.  

I agreed.  All of those things have weighed heavily on me, too.  But I told him that one of the best ways to fight back against all the negativity in the world is to be positive.  And one of the most effective ways to be positive is to start small.  Holding doors open, smiling at people, saying please and thank you, acknowledging someone's efforts, picking up one piece of garbage.  

In his book Faith, Hope and Mischief: Tiny Acts of Rebellion, Andrew Graystone writes:

"Everyday Activism is about living in a world in an engaged way, in the simple belief that things could be a bit better than they are.  The role of Everyday Activism is not to save the planet or change the world.  Either of those things would be such a burdensome, impossible job for any human that they would most certainly be broken in the task.  The task of the Everyday Activist is simply to find the good things that are going on, and nurture them.  This is not one vast project, but a million tiny acts of rebellion."

I would go further than that and say that Acts of Kindness are the first strikes back against a bitter world.  Our kindness is an instrument for fighting back against indifference, ignorance, and hatred.  Just like kicks and punches, kindness is a defense against evil and we need to practice it just as often.

Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but it's the way I like to think of it, anyway.



Song of the Day: The Chariot by Cat Empire

https://open.spotify.com/track/0peYAmI5sjt67CFMgmUfjq?si=14f7b77686384945

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