The Kindness Box

[Geoff-Allen]

Then I had a little look at their other menus -

Humanity 101 - kindness | Project Humanities

Click on the "Articles" button.

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Also try this search -

Kindness book review

For example -

Adam Phillips kindness (book)

Very first to catch my attention -

“Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you’re already in heaven now,” Jack Kerouac wrote in a beautiful 1957 letter. “Kindness, kindness, kindness,” Susan Sontag resolved in her diary on New Year’s Day in 1972. And yet, although kindness is the foundation of all spiritual traditions and was even a central credo for the father of modern economics, at some point in recent history, kindness became little more than an abstract aspiration, its concrete practical applications a hazardous and vulnerable-making behavior to be avoided — we need only look to the internet’s “outrage culture” for evidence, or to the rise of cynicism as our flawed self-defense mechanism against the perceived perils of kindness. We’ve come to see the emotional porousness that kindness requires as a dangerous crack in the armor of the independent self, an exploitable outward vulnerability — too high a cost to pay for the warm inward balm of the benevolence for which we long in the deepest parts of ourselves.

Kindness has become “our forbidden pleasure.”

More from this book review at this location - looks an excellent site -

How Kindness Became Our Forbidden Pleasure

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

The measure of true kindness — which is different from nicety, different from politeness — is often revealed in those challenging instances when we must rise above the impulse toward its opposite, ignited by fear and anger and despair.

Read more - including a poem about kindness -

Kindness Over Fear: Naomi Shihab Nye Tells the Remarkable Real-Life Story That Inspired Her Beloved Poem “Kindness”

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I believe in kindness.

But it's hard to be kind. We're not trained for it. Kindness is for sissies; we learn that early. "Nice guys finish last." If they even get invited to the race. Kindness is taken for weakness, rube-ishness, stupidity. No one seems to respect the kind. They respect the killer. We're taught to value competitiveness, strength, cunning, Darwin.

I work in the entertainment business, where kindness just never seems to be "in." It's not macho. It doesn't sell tickets. In the movies, the hero never kills the bad guy with kindness. But I believe Economics 101 is right. The value of a thing is determined by its scarcity. Which makes kindness spiritual gold.

Kindness, Plain and Simple, by David Copperfield

Plenty more at that particular site!

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Speaking of the Dalai Lama ...

Here''s a collection of 300 or so! If you have a lot of spare time -

351 Beautiful Dalai Lama Quotes collections. Unknown Dalai Lama Quotes

 

[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

How to raise kind children -

We interviewed Ariane de Bonvoisin, an author, speaker, entrepreneur and expert coach who focuses on life skills, change, happiness and inspiration. She’s noticed that most parents don’t allow their kids to have bad days. In an effort to “fix” the situation, we often end up stifling their true feelings. The trouble is, when we do that, kids may grow up to think something’s wrong with them unless they’re always happy.

How to Raise a Kind Kid?

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

How about an entire blog on the subject -

Raising Kind Kids: 5 Simple Things You Can Do

Avoid uncharitable talk about other people—and explain why such talk is not kind or respectful ("We don’t like it when people say bad things about us behind our backs").

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

In his book Why Good Things Happen to Good People Stephen Post writes, “The remarkable bottom line of the science of love is that giving protects overall health twice as much as aspirin protects against heart disease.” That in itself is amazing! The research found that those who regularly practice kindness report lower blood pressure and decreased stress – although it’s worth noting that being kind doesn’t mean we stop having stressful moments. Unfortunately those still come and go as a part of life, however, research has found that those who regularly practice kindness report lower levels of cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) and also tend to be more resilient and able to push through adversity.

Comes from this site -

The Power of Kindness

 

[FineLinen]

 

[FineLinen]

“Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine, Kind words, and Kind deeds.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

“Kindness solves more problems than diplomacy, wealth, intelligence, clout, force, law, and dominion combined.” - Richelle E. Goodrich-

“The worst disability in life is a bad attitude.” -Unknown-

 

[sun rise]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Think kindly of others

Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Affection, gentleness, warmth, concern, and care are words that are associated with kindness. While kindness has a connotation of meaning someone is naive or weak, that is not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength. Kindness is an interpersonal skill.

Comes from this blog -

The Importance of Kindness

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Kindness become a better person

As children, our parents tell us to make up for misbehaving by doing something nice for someone. As adults, we help friends move into a new house; we bring hot meals to new mothers; we might even donate time or money to local charities a few times a year. After all, it’s naturally uncomfortable to see a friend (or stranger) suffering or in need. Call it karma or mojo, but these acts are generally reciprocated. We receive tax breaks, returned meals and favors, thank-you notes. Tit for tat.

But what about pure, altruistic generosity, without the expectation of receiving something in return? Some researchers argue this type of generosity doesn’t exist. But I set out to see whether I could learn to give without the promise of getting. I made lists of various kind acts and placed reminders on my bathroom mirror, my work computer, my car dashboard: Make someone’s day today!

My first act of kindness was buying coffee for the woman behind me in the drive-thru lane at Starbucks. In fact, my first few acts were buying something for someone—lunch for an old friend, a copy of my favorite book to a stranger—but they didn’t make me feel much of anything. The recipients were grateful, but was I really making their day, and was that really boosting my happiness?

From this page -

How 30 Days of Kindness Made Me a Better Person | SUCCESS

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Here is an article that must be one-of-the-best so far - IMHO -

It points out the difference between being "nice" and genuine kindness - I figured the 2 were interchangeable before I read this ...

What does kindness mean to you? When I was younger, I thought I knew what kindness meant. It involves being nice to other people, making them happy, and doing the right thing and the good thing as often as possible.

Right?

Well, not exactly. As I’ve grown older and gained more life experience, I’ve discovered that kindness comes in many forms that don’t always look “kind.” I’ve also discovered what counts as “right” and “good” to one person might not to the next.

We all know kindness is important. But I think it’s also important to acknowledge that while often the kind thing to do is crystal clear, sometimes it’s a little murkier. It can be tricky to know what counts as kindness, towards ourselves and other people, and which behaviours might seem like kindness but do more harm than good. In this post, I want to share a few thoughts on the true meaning of kindness towards ourselves and others, especially for those grey area situations of life in which kindness feels less clear-cut and less, well, kind.

The True Meaning of Kindness — Becoming Who You Are

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Tiny Buddha kindness

Respond kindly to someone who is unkind to you.”

~ Lori Deschene (from Tiny Buddha’s 365 Tiny Love Challenges)

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Skilled at life kindness -

Frequent smiling and laughing makes you a more pleasant person to be around. I am not referring to fake smiles or laughs as people will see right through your insincerity. I am talking about genuine, heart-felt smiling and laughing. It demonstrates optimism, happiness, and an overall pleasantness that is contagious. After all, nobody likes to assimilate with a consistently melancholy person.

30 Ways to Be a Nicer Person

Yes! I know we talked about nice and kind being different ...

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

When we are little, one of the first, and most boring, lessons we ever receive is in the primordial importance of being – as adults put it – ‘kind’. It’s because of this peculiar-seeming imperative that our mother will remind us up to fifteen times in a single week to send granny a thank you letter for the horrible hat she knitted us. Or that we have to add a ‘please’ every time we ask for almost anything, even a paper napkin, from anyone. Or that we have to invite the weirdo in class to our birthday party and even give him his own balloon. We’re left in little doubt: kindness is at once very important – and entirely stupid.

As we grow up, we get better at the superficial mechanics of kindness – but not necessarily better at understanding why kindness should matter as it does. The subject remains under some of the strict or sentimental cloud beneath which it was first introduced to us as small children. We simply succumb to its dictates more readily and are a little swifter with the cards.

The Need for Kindness -