CREATING A SOCIETY FULL OF KINDNESS
(Zonia Amer and Hafsa Qureshi, Lahore)
Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition and concern and consideration for other. It is considered a virtue and is recognized as a value in many cultures and religions. In oxford dictionary kindness is defined as a quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. However, I believe that the definition can be extended and more effectively narrated as a message from one heart to another. Kindness is the universal language of love. It is the only factor that holds humanity all the time.
The value of kindness can be discussed in terms of time. It takes only two minutes to help an old person to cross the road or thirty minutes to visit an old age home and talk to the adults. It’s just takes a few seconds to smile at someone and made them feel happy and change their mood throughout the day. A few motivating words can help a person to achieve better or to overcome their difficulties. It takes one hour to help a struggling student solve his problem. Such acts of kindness need nothing except for time.
The value of kindness can also be scrutinized in terms of money. It only takes a few rupees to help a homeless person, to buy clothes for the needy, to provide food to the poor or to donate some money for saving someone’s life. However sometimes it is free of cost; for example, sharing your biscuits with someone sitting next to you, offering someone an umbrella, or donating your old stuff.
"A tree is known by its fruits; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, he who plants kindness gathers love".
The most important term for determining the value of kindness is intention. For example, think about the old wrist watch that your grandfather gifted you. The wrist watch is of no use to you but the love with which it is given is very precious. A rose from a kid is of no use to you but the love with which it is given is incomparable. ‘God judged not only the action but also the intentions’. When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.
The little acts of kindness can change the world. Every person has opinions on how to improve the world, though no one wants to practice kindness in their backyard. Kindness increases happiness. It slows down the aging process and improves relationships and connections. Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward.