Does kindness matter? Just how important is kindness? Isn’t the popular advice to focus instead on realising our own goals and getting ahead? If that is the case does Kindness matter at all?
Some people play life as if it’s a competitive sport. That means they throw themselves into winning at all costs, with no thought to how their behaviour impacts themselves or anyone around them. While this kind of ruthless pushing to get to the top of the heap might get you there, it’s worth considering if you’ll be able to live with the person you’ve become in the process.
This is because kindness shows us a lot more about ourselves than we realise. Kind people are empathetic which mean they’re in tune with the world around them and carry with them an awareness of the needs of others. What’s more, they’re not shy about acting on those needs in offering a helping hand when it’s required the most. You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”
If you don’t think kindness matters, stop to consider the impact it has on both ourselves and on the world around us. In the next article I will take a look at how kindness matters and helps others.