Being Kind is God-like

 

Photo Credit: Inc. Magazine

Being Kind is God-like

There is a saying by an unknown author – ‘In a world where you can be anything….be kind’. There is nothing which can beat kindness, it gives you such a good feeling about yourself that I am sure most of you would have experienced it. Human nature is basically steeped in kindness, and as we go through life’s experiences and its ups and downs, this basic nature gets hidden under layers of bitter and bad experiences.

One of my best memories of kindness was when I was bringing my ailing grandmother home from my uncle’s house in Thane about 25 years ago. It was late, past 9pm and it was raining cats and dogs, maybe elephants and rhinos – you know how heavy Mumbai rains can be. When we came near Sion hospital the right rear tyre got punctured. I got out of the car, took the jack and placed it beneath the car, I took the wheel-spanner and tried to turn the bolts – no luck, the spanner just kept turning it wasn’t catching its grip. By this time, I was soaked and in despair – there were no cell phones then! I tried to wave some passing cars no one was stopping – this was Mumbai – and then to my utter surprise a car pulled over and a gentleman got out. He asked what was wrong, I told him my wheel spanner wasn’t working. He got his spanner out, I took it, and removed the bolts and he helped me fix the spare tyre. It took all of ten minutes and he helped all the while. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart – for me that night he was God! Mumbai does have a heart. It was as if God heard a silent prayer and came to the rescue!

Once during a lecture, Warren Buffet was asked what was his definition of success. He replied, “When you get to my age, you will really measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you….That is the ultimate test of how you have lived your life. The trouble with love is that you cannot buy it….The only way to get love is to be lovable….The more you give love away, the more you get.” So, for a man as wealthy and successful in life the ultimate measure of success was not any of his material accomplishments but the quantum of selfless love that you receive – that was his true wealth! And the way to that wealth is kindness, this is fundamental to human existence. We experience kindness from birth itself as we are cocooned in the arms of our parents who nurture us as we grow and shower us with love and affection – it just goes to show kindness is sewn into our DNA.

To be kind one does not have to work hard, it is the easiest to execute any random act of kindness everyday – do it and see for yourself how much joy you give and get with such acts. Every act of random kindness creates a ripple effect that spreads from person to person with no end in sight. Kindness originates from the simple act of not harming others. Kindness is also a reflection of the empathy you show others during their tough times, when you treat others the way they deserve to be treated and when you appreciate others for their work and last but not the least when you forgive others for their mistakes. Be kind…..be God-like.