Kill em with Kindness

-- Sandhya Bista / प्रकाशित मिति : मङ्लबार, कार्तिक ४, २०७७

Growing up I was very much surrounded by my parents who loved doing social work and giving back to the community. They took time out in helping people in need and volunteering. I was very inspired seeing them always wanting to purely serve without having any agenda in mind.  And from an early age I felt very drawn to these legends, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Princess Diana, who left a legacy of love, kindness and strength. I really wanted to aspire to be like them as I really loved what they were about and their philosophies of the way they lived their life and did things with pure intention of selfless love. They had no expectations but to only serve the most needy and vulnerable.

A question that usually pops in my head is about our existence of why are we here on this planet? What does it mean to live a fulling life? And I think Ram Dass has put it in a perfect quote “We’re all just walking each other home” and this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sometimes we could be living in a bubble of our own and not really seeing what’s happening outside of our own world. Our suffering and pain could be all that we see and notice. And our world begins and ends with only our problems. However, if we shift that and go beyond our problems, we can start to see things from a different lens and we can become more empathetic, appreciative and thoughtful. I do not think anyone is free from suffering but the least we could do is to acknowledge someone else’s pain and help them get through a difficult phase. Do you believe in Karma? Princess Diana once said “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”

Photo Sorce Goolcast

Some of us are given a better opportunity at life and are in a better position to give back and have privileges others might not. Life is not always for fair for everyone and unfortunately there are people less fortunate that us. So, I feel that it is our responsibility to stand up and look after people that cannot always help themselves. It is our duty to show up and be there for people that need us. When we see humanity as one and look after one another as our own family, we could bring so much peace to this world. I love how Radhanath Swami puts it “Each one of us can make such a difference if we become humble, if we develop a service attitude rather than an exploitative attitude, if we develop the broad mind to see the oneness and to learn to love all living beings. What a difference each one of us could make, and what a difference we could make if we are united on that principle.” I believe that once we cultivate a mindset to serve people we are in the right path. We do not have to make the process complicated or out of reach, even a small gesture can go a long way. We are all connected to different things and that is the beauty, we can try and do things that feed our soul in our own unique way. You could volunteer, raise awareness about certain topics, speak up for injustice, fundraise for a campaign that you truly believe in. There are so many ways we can take action & create an impact in the community. We can create little ripples of kindness which all add up to something meaningful for someone. Mother Teresa — ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.’

It is easier to be nasty to or be critical of others, but that says a lot about you than the other person you are judging. I love this expression “Kill em with kindness” and that is exactly what it is, you can even be kind to your worst enemy and it will cost you zero dollars. There is so much more strength and power in being kind and loving. But the journey of kindness has to start from you. Once you teach yourself to be kind then only can you practise being kind to others. It is like a reflection in the mirror, if your inner world is about being kind to oneself then your outer world is also projected in the same way. A simple spiritual practise could also help you bring awareness about being compassionate. When we start walking in the path of spirituality the mantra becomes love and kindness. When we lead with our heart space, we get to appreciate life in a beautiful way and experience the joy of living a fulfilling life by being service to others. And most important reminder “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”