Is being kind wise or foolish?
The Chicago Tribune article titled: To feel better and healthier, learn to practice kindness reported an ending statement.
“More isolated groups are more likely to feel threatened by others and they are more likely to morally seclude, dehumanize, “Hare said, “And that opens the door to cruelty.”
The Purpose of This Post
Is to relate an ancient wise saying of advice on how simply being kind to one another is wise or foolish.
King Solomon
Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. (Kings 1:3-6)
Kind words are like honey sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. (Proverb 16:24 NLT)
What’s My Point?
The Chicago Tribune article can be related to the above Bible verses.
For example, Solomon entreats God and mentions His kindness is a testament to his acknowledging kindness is an attribute of God. His proverb about how kind words are similar to how honey can be a sweetener to our souls and are healthy to our bodies.
Sadly, though many of the other news articles report news of actions taking place in our Nation opposite to kind words or actions.
And as the writer ending statement “groups are likely to feel threatened………….”
In My Opinion
Try taking a kind action today with someone in need and reflect after doing so if it made you feel better.
If Interested
Read the article and source links below.
You Decide
If after you acted kindly, did it make you feel your action served to lift your spirits and made you feel better, and hopefully healthier, if not in body, at least in soul?
If after you acted kindly, did it serve to bring about a “threatened or cruel action” or open a door in response?
Regards and goodwill blogging
Source Link
Chicago Tribune July 5, 2020
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune-sunday/20200705/281840055951557
Rudy u Martinka 
Like all things humans do, good or bad, it’s generally for “selfish” reasons. Now.. I qualify that by also stating that some level/measure of personal selfishness is in all of us.. it’s a human trait, very likely to enhance the communal survival of our species. We all want to do things that make us personally “feel good”… whether it’s robbing a bank, committing murder, helping a little old lady cross the street. or giving a homeless person five bucks while waiting at a stop light. In fact.. one of the more selfish traits of man is the desire to have a baby. The natural (Christian) progression is two people meet, fall in love, get married, then one or both want to have a baby. Why? It’s instinct using our desire to want to “selfishly” nurture offspring. So I do not one bit consider selfishness in the broader term as always a negative feeling to fight off or accept some moral guilt.
I personally follow the old proverb… “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Unfortunately very few situations exist to allow for an average person to help a person by helping them rise out of their quandary to help change their lives. Giving a homeless guy at the stop light five bucks does absolutely nothing for me in regards to self-satisfaction that I helped someone with some small measure of charity. If I were to donate some time to stand in a serving line at a local “soap kitchen” dishing out Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners to the homeless I still would not feel charitable at all. I feel all I am doing is taking care of a person’s “symptoms” for the day… and not truly helping them. What happens to them in between those seasons?
See. to me it’s not about sharing and being kind to each other as we already have that within us. What we need is the compunction… inspiration…. to allow that feeling within all of us to come out of us. If you feel good delivering charity.. more power to you. To me the goal is not making myself feel better but rather to give my fellow man some relief so that he/she can start improving their own lot in life.
In the case of homeless folks… they don’t want conditional do-gooders helping them… and the fact that they are homeless is for a real reason.. not a whimsical fancy. But delivering a personal kindness starts in the beginning of your day with the first person you meet… even if only a verbal acknowledgment of their existence.
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Doug,
Thanks for your comment.
Sometimes we’re confronted with a choice, I try to think of what Christ would choose to respond to the situation
The needs are great and the servants few seem to validate King Solomon about nothing new under the sun.
However if all we billions of humans all served by just being kind it adds up…..
Regards and goodwill blogging
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For me, it is the only way to be grateful, even if someone is insulting, I have no idea of their perspective/perception-yes you’re right, thank you, and carry on. and to be generous with myself where possible
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