Edward Hays ~ Author, Artist & Storyteller
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Kindergarten

5/22/2013

 

Kindergarten

Dear old and new friends,

    “Love makes the world go round,” from the popular song written in 1961 by Bob Merrill, should have included the line, “and makes gracious kindness abound.” Unfortunately, contemporary society is facing an increase of rudeness in traffic and checkout lines, along with impoliteness in interpersonal exchanges—all evidence of the erosion of kindness. Aware of this condition, a newscaster interviewing the Dalai Lama asked him, “Your Holiness, how does one cultivate loving kindness?” His Holiness paused thoughtfully and then smiled, “I feel that may be asking too much. What do you say if we just begin by working on getting the kindness part?”

    If you wish to follow this wise advice of His Holiness, begin by restoring old-fashioned thoughtfulness…and then you can upgrade it to “loving” kindness. Our parent-teachers taught us the first lessons in being considerate of others in the family, our neighbors and even strangers. However, early life parental lessons were easily eclipsed when we began to copy the discourteous behavior of peers, and then by the pressures of work and everyday life. If we are to cultivate kindness once again we must go back to kindergarten, pronounced kind-ergarten.

    Kind-ergarten, that mystic soul school teaches how to “correctly tell time” by the use of a clock without hands! Lacking hands and numbers we have to return to telling time by the sun. Sun time is for kids. Sun time is endless leisure. The sun tells “no-clock-crunch-time,” so it is always the “correct time” to be kind to others. Only a couple of sun seconds are required to perform an act of kindness, to allow others to go before you, or to turn and invite someone behind you in line to move up in front.

    Kind-ergarten’s gym soul class strengthens character, develops strong personality muscles and a wholesome love of self, all of which are required as “rudeness is a weak man’s imitation of strength,” said Eric Hoffer. Whenever you’re the victim of rudeness, respond by being kindly sympathetic of the offender’s crippling weakness.

    Kind-ergarten is for kids! Daily remember you are one of God’s kids, and so have inherited loving kindness in your Divine DNA. To be kindhearted is easy—simply allow it to flow out of you naturally.
Tom Skorupa
5/23/2013 11:26:02 pm

The Kindergarten of Loving Kindness! Great article and a great tie in with the childlike wisdom of this Sunday's reading from Proverbs:
"I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."
I want to live into Loving Kindness, and I want my kindness to be infused by love. And as you and the Dali Lama said, Ed, it begins with a simple practice of kindness....and perhaps as Proverbs says, with a playful-kindergarten attitude of taking delight in the other and the Other.

Rudi Dietrich
5/28/2013 01:34:24 pm

Kindness is not easy to come by any longer. Dear Ed, like you i find we THINK we have no time. Too many agendas pulling on us. Taking time for a smile is a good exercise. It is, however, often misunderstood. Condescending or trying an "advance". One even has to be careful smiling at children, especially if one is a male.
i hope to get back and read ALL your Ideas.
I still generally smile at people, no matter the danger involved, ha,ha.


Comments are closed.


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