People remember striking physical beauty,
but people appreciate kindness. Stress is one of the killers of kindness: when
we feel pressured, we tend to pull away from others in a misguided attempt to
save ourselves from more pain. In fact, this protective measure is exactly the
opposite of what we need to do to reduce stress. When you reach out to people,
it invariably makes you feel good. You do not read much about kindness these
days, and it's a real shame, because it's one of the few things that really
count.
Kindness can take so many forms; it's hard
to know where to start in describing it. Sometimes being kind just means not
pressing an advantage when you could. Letting someone in front of you at the
supermarket is a small gift: so is taking a minute to talk to someone who is sad.
Kindness is more than doing things for other people, though. When you are kind
to someone, you are stretching a set of mental or spiritual muscles, growing
your own capacity for compassion. It is a no-lose proposition.
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