Tanja - I hadn;t thought about it but even the idea of kindness is almost a foreign concept in our societies today. It may even be seen as a form of weakness as opposite sides retreat to their corners. I wonder how we foster kindness and model it for our children? It certainly doesn't mean acceptance of any form of behaviour. It's interesting that the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament (חֶסֶד - ḥeseḏ) also carries the sense of mercy, compassion and goodness. We seem to have driven kindness out of the social milieu with criticism. Interestingly, King Solomon wrote: "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself" (Proverbs 11:17). So, you get the sense that the opposite of kindness is cruelty. However, being kind is good and backs our own self-interest! Somehow we need to foster kindness, and of course, the easiest place to start is with ourselves! Thanks for alerting us all to this fundamental character trait that we all need to seek after.
Thank you so much, Reuben, for your feedback and I love the proverb. It’s so true. I also believe that kindness goes with self love and a good portion of humility, something we should definitely be teaching our children.
Tanja - I hadn;t thought about it but even the idea of kindness is almost a foreign concept in our societies today. It may even be seen as a form of weakness as opposite sides retreat to their corners. I wonder how we foster kindness and model it for our children? It certainly doesn't mean acceptance of any form of behaviour. It's interesting that the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament (חֶסֶד - ḥeseḏ) also carries the sense of mercy, compassion and goodness. We seem to have driven kindness out of the social milieu with criticism. Interestingly, King Solomon wrote: "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself" (Proverbs 11:17). So, you get the sense that the opposite of kindness is cruelty. However, being kind is good and backs our own self-interest! Somehow we need to foster kindness, and of course, the easiest place to start is with ourselves! Thanks for alerting us all to this fundamental character trait that we all need to seek after.
Thank you so much, Reuben, for your feedback and I love the proverb. It’s so true. I also believe that kindness goes with self love and a good portion of humility, something we should definitely be teaching our children.