What is kindness? In my book, kindness is a state of being that requires a degree of selflessness, as in acts of generosity without expecting a reward; the ability to take others’ well-being into account; and, of course, compassion for others. Most of us, I believe, don’t usually think much about kindness as an active stance in the world. But if we listen to the kindness of children, perhaps we can offer more of it ourselves.
“Be generous. Just like if someone dropped their sandwich, you should like help them out.”
“Kindness is being kind and being respectful and being nice.”
“The world is changed by little people living out big love.”
“I helped someone stand up because they were pushed to the ground.”
The kindness of children: are they our teachers?
Not wanting to rely on videos completely, I conducted an informal series of interviews with some neighborhood kids in which I asked them what kindness looks like. These are some of their responses.
“Give up your seat for an older person such as on the bus.” “Help others who are not as strong as you are and help animals feel safe.” “If you see your neighbor carrying heavy stuff, ask if you can help.” “If you and your mom make something nice, like cupcakes, give some to a friend.” “Don’t tear the leaves off flowers.” “If you see someone being mean to a kid, tell them to stop!” “Say thank you a lot.”
I then asked them why being kind is a good thing. These are some of their responses.
“Animals feel safe when you are kind to them.” “When you’re kind, you feel happy.” “Being kind is good because it makes your friends happy.” “Sometimes when I’m kind, my teacher gives me a sticker.” “My mother says that if I’m kind to my friends, I will get lots of play dates.” “Being kind means you are a good person.” “It’s good to be kind because there might be peace in the world.” “Maybe if we’re more kind, people will stop fighting.”
“Where there is kindness there is goodness, and where there is goodness there is magic.” – Disney’s Cinderella
For more inspiring quotes about kindness, click here!
