Kindness is Our Natural State

I was having a hard time coming up with a concept for this article. I would go back to the challenge description, leave it, think about it for a few days…just to do it all again. I’ve done this a few times over and over since the release of the contest on January 13th.

Then, it dawned on me. Why is it so hard to write an article about kindness? Kindness is not some abstract concept in need of demystification. In fact, it is something that is innate in all of us. Yet, I must admit, it is something we very easily gloss over. The better question is, why do we stray away from kindness when it is the foundation of who we are?

We have come to believe that we live in a dog eats dog world. Only the tough will survive and the rest, well, we don’t even talk about. This is a belief many hold, whether consciously or unconsciously. Where does this come from?

When we look at nature, everything happens so seamlessly. Do we question how the bee knows that it will find pollen in the flower? Do we ask whether the mother hen will keep her eggs warm? Will our dogs one day decide that they hate us and turn their backs on us?

Perhaps, the real issue here, is that we deny our true nature. We look out into the wild and refuse to believe we have anything to do with it. We view ourselves as separate from nature. That’s why we are so quick to hurt our forests and pollute our air.

Yet, how does nature respond to all this? Nature returns to love to preserve itself and therefore preserves the world we inhabit. Nature only needs to receive a little bit of loving to return to it’s, well, natural state! Here is the link to an article of how orange peels have saved a dry forest.

I believe the reason we separate ourselves from nature is because a lot of us are afraid of love.

We would rather see a broken world than feel love because feeling love comes with the cost of losing it. Or so we think.

What if I told you that love is a renewable source of energy? That you can never, truly lose it or run out of it. You can only lose what you believe was the source of your love. When really, love is infinite.

When we decide to focus upon the ever-present love that is available to us, then, we can witness transformation. Have you ever seen someone light up after you said something kind to them? Now, that’s what I’m talking about.

Love is free. Love is the energy underlying all human interaction. Even in hateful circumstances. We don’t want to believe in love in the most heinous circumstances, yet that’s when it is most important to see it.

When someone is hurting, they will act out of rage and hate. I want to challenge you to view the people who’ve committed the most atrocious crimes through the lens of love. A human being who has received proper care, love and nourishment in their lives would never do such things. When people commit atrocities unto others, they are committing them unto themselves.

This is not to excuse such acts or to diminish anyone's suffering. I’m in no way encouraging such behavior or suggesting remaining complacent. I believe that we also need to see the human being behind the act. Even if it is only for a second. Social change can only truly be sustained when it's rooted in compassion, otherwise violence persists.

I also want to add that if you are currently struggling with feelings of rage, anger or resentment, the best thing to do is to feel them. We tend to believe that if we feel an emotion, it’s who we are. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Emotions are visitors. You can be the observer of your emotions and ask yourself, where is this coming from? Feeling is healing. YOU are the one in control, not your emotions. Once you feel them and establish what is making you feel that way, you can move on to other, less intense emotions. Then, with some time and effort, find a sense of relief. If you need further guidance, I find the Choose Again Method by spiritual teacher Gabby Bernstein to be helpful. You can also check out the Emotional Guidance Scale by metaphysical teachers Abraham-Hicks.

What it really boils down to is that we must stop fighting fire with fire. Deep down, we are all the same. We all have the same need for love, comfort and support.

Why don’t we all let our guards down for a bit and give love a chance?

If you've made it this far, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am grateful that you are here. If you feel called to, I invite you to give my article a heart, share and/or a tip to support my growth as a writer. You can also check out my other articles posted here. Sending you love and light.

-Val