Responding with genuine kindness
The ability to respond with genuine kindness comes from a heart steeped in love. As a result, the Divine Presence and the human soul touch in such a sacred way that love automatically flows from one heart to the other. Authentic kindness goes beyond empathy and represents an active desire to erase the suffering of others. Its very essence is love and compassion. At the center of this kind of goodness is altruism. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we want to end the suffering of others and help them live joyfully.
As you can see, this is much more than just performing a “random act of kindness,” which is defined as an unexpected and undeserved good deed done by someone we may or may not know. Although that has the merit of its own authentic goodness, on the contrary, it is unconditional love in full bloom, in its purest form. Expressions of authentic goodness represent a much deeper experience because they come from a Divine Source within ourselves that transcends humanity and longs to be a vessel of compassion for others. Authentic goodness represents pure love, uncontaminated by judgment, criticism, jealousy, aggressiveness, greed, and ego.
Ego consciousness and authentic goodness cannot coexist because the ego is the foundation of duality, making you feel as though you are separate from God, and from this belief system compassion cannot grow. The dichotomy is why letting go of your ego strength is so important, first for your own well-being and second for the well-being of everyone around you. Authentic goodness cannot exist on the lower levels of consciousness because those levels are filled with fear, ego, selfishness, anger, jealousy, and drama. Kind inclinations develop naturally when one reaches higher states of consciousness, which are marked by love, peace, joy, compassion, equanimity, empathy, and stillness.
Every drop of goodness we give multiplies to an ocean of goodness in which the depths are limitless. Giving goodness from the inside out transforms us into faithful instruments of the Divine and true agents of change in our world. We radiate joy and see limitless opportunities to give love to others. In this enthusiastic feeling that results from the outpouring of love, comes a stillness and inner peace. Our goal here is not to have a life free of suffering, because suffering is part of the human condition, but to offer comfort to those who are suffering. By remembering our shared humanity, we are able to bring authentic kindness not only to those we love, but also to those who have hurt us. This is the deepest form of compassion, and it is this compassion that will heal us as individuals and as a society. Expressions of genuine kindness produce a domino effect; those who receive it want to give it, and as a result it multiplies and touches the hearts of many.
In today’s world of intense hardship, we discover the courage not to attack or retaliate, but to respond with a kind and gentle heart. By practicing this true goodness, we become a light in the world, a strong antidote to hatred and fear; we begin the healing our world so desperately needs.