Act of giving, being kind and self sacrifice are considered one of the highest virtues of human kind. All our childhood is filled with moral stories of giving gifts. Wish the morals had stopped there, but they take it a step further and claim that self sacrifice is the zenith we can reach.
These values become a part of our growing up, even today Internet is full of pushy self sacrifice blogs, books that teach you to ‘unlock’ inner kindness. This has gone to such an extent that mere thought of not giving is considered monstrous.
Helping others might be important, I don’t know. But most important for me is, giving to me and myself. Hold on! Read, before you brand me as a selfish and mean creature.
I essentially feel kindness is an act of selfishness, people show kindness towards others to feel good, it boosts their ego. They feel happy to be standing on the giving end. There is nothing wrong with these feelings, as long as we understand them that way. But pompous sentences like ‘giving back to society’ is what annoys me. They drive a felling that by merely donating $100 you are saving the whole earth and the World is at your feet begging for a change.
If the definition of kindness is an act to help others in reaching their needs, then my first priority is being kind to myself. I would kindly nurture positive thoughts in me, be kind to my body and take care of my health, be kind to mind and make it much stronger and better.
If I want to learn something, I would read, experience, think and most important feel it. I would discuss it and teach others only if I feel it would make my understanding better. If I hate someone, I would not hit him on head, not because I want to be kind to him NO, but because it would disturb my mind and make me unhappy ( I want no legal troubles as well).
Same holds good for the family and friends, I spend time with them, give them things they need not out of kindness but because it would make me feel happy and content.
My Family is an extension of me, so its technically not giving them but giving myself. Even the World I live in is an extension of me, it is never giving others, its being kind to ourselves.
