Restoring Kindness in Society

By Dr. Synesio Lyra, Jr.

I just came across this expressive statement: “Kindness is just love with its work boots on.” It quickly reminded me that kindness is increasingly seldom noticed among fellow humans. At the same time, love needs redefinition, for the ideas people have of it today fail to resemble its noblest and most mature reality!

Ultimately, it’s not the boots, shoes, or plain bear feet that will make any difference. True love can work well without external tools; it usually impacts its objects indelibly, wherever such beneficiaries may reside!

Nevertheless, it’s very true that kindness is usually an expression of love, whether such love is only momentarily expressed, or it will be extended into greater dimensions for the sake of the objects of the kindness.

People need a greater sensitivity to the way world events, regional or national tragedies, personal grief, and other impacting occurrences affect fellow humans everywhere. Instead of thinking only of themselves, individuals should reflect on the positive reactions a friendly word, a kind comment, a polite demonstration can achieve among worrying and hurrying fellow citizens.

The objects of human kindness need not be only people we know. Of course, they need to remain on the list of its candidates. It’s often people we don’t know and may never see again, that could also benefit from our kind words and actions.

If you decide to become indiscriminately kind to others, this quality will flow spontaneously from your being toward others who will benefit from your words and actions. You may not receive immediate responses but the effect shall always be positive! As Dr. James R. Kok expresses in one of his books on this subject, “people are thankful for acts of kindness, no matter how little.”