Kindness

I am never disappointed by the insights into human nature from my favorite philosopher, Mma Ramostwe, the founder and chief detective at the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. In To the Land of long Lost Friends, the latest in Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, she has this to say about kindness:

Kindness, after all, did not distinguish between those who merited it and those who did not. It was like rain, she thought. It fell everywhere and made everything green and new and alive once more.

Especially in this “season of giving,” it seemed appropriate to think about what and to whom we offer kindness.  

There were many articles, columns and tweets over the holidays about how to get along with your relatives. Many of these dealt with political differences driving family and friends apart. I must admit I feel no kindness toward those whose beliefs seem to be cruel for the sake of cruelty. As we drop poor children from free lunches and separate others from their parents, or turn away immigrants seeking refuge, I do not know how to find kindness for those I believe are without merit. Perhaps the best I can hope for is civility. I can listen and disagree without hostility, at least showing kindness toward those seeking peace among their guests.

I saw at least one tweet about withholding judgment when we give. If we give a homeless person money it is not for us to dictate how it is used. We may not approve of their life choices, but if we give it should be in the spirit of kindness.

Yesterday I dropped my wallet while I was shopping. I realized it as soon as I got to my car, but only minutes later it was nowhere to be found at the self-checkout counter I had used. I can’t describe my panic at the thought of losing my credit cards and other documents just days before leaving on an international trip. But there it was at the counter by the door, with everything including the cash intact. A woman who witnessed me nearly in tears said, “You see, there are still nice people in the world.”

There certainly are, and perhaps there will be even more if we can take Mma Ramotswe’s lesson of kindness to heart.