The sincere and heartfelt practice of kindness is part of the next step I am needing to take, and this step is so crucial, it is so key, Gentle Reader. I know that I have sometimes sounded very unkind in parts of this blog. Perhaps I was being unkind, or maybe simply not being nice. Some hard truths can only be expressed harshly, or at least loudly, unfortunately. Otherwise, no one is going to pay attention. Anyway, if you are expecting me to make any promises about changing the way I write this blog, then please don't hold your breath, because I never know what I am going to be addressing, and sometimes a harsh tone is warranted, but not always, so I will try to be judicious, anyway.
I have had some mild tests today on my kindness. It started with a mildly prickly email exchange with a friend who likes to hold text debates that include getting sent article links that I neither have time or are interested in reading. I demurred, stating I did not want to get into a debate, telling him that for me it doesn't really matter who is right. I have decided to avoid getting into these kinds of conflict that nobody wins, since they are usually fuelled by anxiety and irritability, and sometimes lack of sleep. And they can also shipwreck friendships.
So, I let it go. This is not easy for me since I am one of those annoying know-it-alls who must always be right, and this is one character flaw that I would like to address, but through kindness. So, I am going to stay in touch with my friend, whom I am also trying to support during this pandemic, and simply not engage in anything contentious with him. I have been thinking lately, how much value is placed on intelligence and cleverness, as though those were themselves supreme virtues. But it also happened to be clever and intelligent people who gave us the atomic bomb. Give me Mother Teresa or Henri Nouwen https://henrinouwen.org/about/about-henri/his-life/ over Stephen Hawking, any old day.
I have nothing against science or higher learning. I have an IQ that places me in the top two percentile, and I was diagnosed as gifted when I was a child. Notice that I say diagnosed, as though it was a disease or a chronic condition. Knowledge is all good, but it has to be partnered with love and kindness if it isn't to give birth to great devouring monsters.
There were other challenges to my kindness today. The young barista from whom I was buying coffee beans today who refused to let me use the washroom because of pandemic protocol. I resisted the urge to resent and managed to stay polite and kind. Then I found an open washroom in the park one block away. Problem solved.
When I got home, there were three or four street people hanging out in the alley below my window and playing incredibly loud music from their ghetto blaster. I called the police and emphasized that I only wanted them to turn off the music, otherwise, no problem. They have to be somewhere and they are already vulnerable.
I could go on. But here is an idea. Especially while there are increasing racist attacks against people of Asian and African descent during these troubled times, how about this little idea, Gentle Reader? Let's substitute acts of microaggression with acts of micro kindness. All it takes is having love in your heart. Don't simply wait to find that loving feeling. Be kind anyway. This will create the love, and as we continue in these little acts of kindness, stumbling at first, but getting better with practice, so we will experience being birthed in our hearts the love, joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. and you don't even have to be Christian to qualify!
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