"Love and kindness can spread as easily as hate and fear" ~ Paolo Coelho
I have a strong desire to see justice and fairness in the world, and without getting overwhelmed with the enormity of the task at hand, thinking of how it can be created in a small way. It always starts with us.... it starts with me.
I keep coming back to kindness. Each interaction with someone is an opportunity to be kind, and I like the thought that it's possible to have a positive effect on someone's day when we show them kindness, and then perhaps it will have a ripple effect, spreading outwards to more people. Or an encouraging word could actually inspire and shape someone's future. I like the idea that kindness is an innate quality, and by releasing tension, things which have built up around us like armour, we can come back to kindness. Things that I am practicing to come back to kindness: daily meditation, bringing awareness back to my breath and pausing through the day, being aware of the how emotions feel as sensations in my body, trying to be aware of the way in which I speak to myself - is it harsh or critical? Sometimes, hell yes! And at those times asking myself "how would I speak to a good friend in this situation?" I'm trying - at least - to practice kindness to me - and from there kindness to others. There is a lot of potential for love and kindness to spread in place of hate and fear.
Beautiful illustration by
Youngcheol Lee from the book "the things you can see only when you slow down"
Meditation : I recommend @headspace app as a good place to start, or as a way to continue with daily meditation in a manageable way.
