The Kindness Box

[FineLinen]

Here is number 2000 -

“Each smallest act of kindness, reverberates across great distances and spans of time - affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit, was the source of this good echo. Because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage, years later, and far away. Likewise, each small meanness, each expression of hatred, each act of evil.”

Dean Koontz

Enjoy the rest of your time here at the forum!

G.A. This link has been an incredible inspiration. Thank you for starting it and fueling the consistent stream.

Do all things with kindness.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

G.A. This link has been an incredible inspiration. Thank you for starting it and fueling the consistent stream.

Do all things with kindness.

I am glad you find it inspiring!

I didn't actually start it - I kind of inherited it and took over ...

Thanks for all your posts too!

Wishing all our readers a pleasant time.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Try - tiny buddha make world better -

For example:

I have always wanted to change the world.

I remember being four years old, sitting glued to the television on Sunday mornings, not watching cartoons, but utterly captivated by World Vision. I cried about the injustices in the world, and begged my mother to let me sponsor Maria, the girl with the large, sad eyes who was around my age.

My mom patiently tried to explain to me that we couldn’t afford to send her money. I couldn’t understand, since we seemed to live in luxury compared to Maria.

Having been raised in a middle-class community of about 800 people in rural Newfoundland, I had never seen a stark divide between the rich and the poor. We all seemed to be the same to my four-year-old eyes.

My heart broke for Maria, and all of the other children on the show. I vowed to myself that someday, I was going to help people like her.

Read more at this location -

10 Simple Ways to Make the World a Better Place

Al the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

That is one huge site - for example -

One of the key ways to bring about greater harmony and peace in our lives is through understanding—looking at a situation and taking the time to put ourselves into the minds and hearts of others.

And the key to understanding begins with the seed of compassion. Sounds so simple, right? So why don’t we do it?

As people living in the west, we can sometimes be in too much of a rush to be kind—particularly when we’re dealing with deadlines and pressures.

Can you think of a time when you brushed passed a certain situation and later regretted it? Feeling afterward that somehow you should have lent a helping hand, no matter how big or how small?

No Act of Kindness is Too Small

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Just surfing around a bit ... found this philosophy blog.

It has a few articles about kindness - I plan to be reading a couple after this post. Here's one -

Why is being nice important?

Imagine a world full of jerks. Everyone treats everyone else in a mean and disrespectful manner. Everyone behaves as if they were not nice people. Not just a few people, not just most people, everyone. And that would include you. What do you think of that kind of world? Would you like to live there?

I know I would not, and I imagine that you do not either. Being nice is that important, even if we don’t always remember. We all have rough days, and on occasion, we forget. We act hastily and in a less than great emotional state. In short, we act like jerks. Fortunately, it isn’t all the time. But most of us know someone who could improve, even if only a little.

And what if that person was you? How well do you manage to respond under stress? Do you always respond with kindness and respect, even to jerks? I know I don’t always do as well as I might want, but that is part of life, and we are only human. But part of being human is to strive to do better. Do you?

kindness Archives - philosiblog

Enjoy your day!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Try this search - helping others for kids

Plus the suggested searches ... yet to delve into them as I sit here at the keyboard on a cool but sunnny day.

Enjoy your time here at the forum!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Want to raise kids that care? Learn how parents can teach children to help others by volunteering and donating as a family.

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody. -Chinese Proverb

Children are never too young to learn the value and joy of helping others. As we know, children learn by watching their parents. Take talking, for instance. We talk to our children from the time they’re babies and, after a while, they start talking back. We know that if they see us reading, chances are they will learn to love reading too. We can also model compassion and generosity to raise caring kids. If children see us donating our time, money, and belongings, they will learn to do the same. By volunteering or donating as a family, parents can raise children who not only care, but help others.

Teaching Children to Help Others

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Today, World Kindness Day, is an opportunity for people across the world to focus on good deeds in their communities, reminding us that kindness is a positive force that connects us all. But how can we make sure that our kids get that message, too? After all, for kindness to become the norm in society, our children will need to learn how to be kind to carry the torch forward for future generations.

It can be hard to show kindness in our daily interactions—for us, as well as for our kids. Even though we are hardwired for kindness and empathy, we can be hampered by the busyness in our lives or by more negative influences in the world, like bullying, intolerance, hate crimes, and more.

Comes from the greater good site which is well-worth checkin out ...

How to Be a Kindness Role Model for Your Kids

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

At the risk of labouring the point?

As a mom, one of the most valuable gifts I can give my children is to teach them to serve others. But how do we serve with young children? Most organizations have age limits for their volunteers, and while donating money is a legitimate way to help, a more tangible lesson often sticks better with kids. A few years ago, I found myself in this exact dilemma. My kids were 7, 5, and 2. They were exhibiting signs of the entitlement culture that surrounds us. I wanted to find ways to build a stronger family and stronger character in my children, but I couldn’t find a volunteer organization that would let my kids serve with me and my husband.

Our solution was to create our own ways to serve. I sat down with my kids and encouraged them to think of ways they could help others. Before I knew it, we had almost a full page of ideas, and we began looking for opportunities to put them into action. We have loved using our list—sometimes by planning a day of service in advance, sometimes just by seeing an opportunity and seizing it. If you’re looking for ways to serve with your children, here are just a few ideas to get you started.

From this site -

How to Teach Your Kids to Help Others - iMom

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Today, judging others seems to be an activity practiced by far too many people.1 It’s all too easy to post comments about other people, whether they’re celebrities or ordinary, everyday citizens. Unkindness isn't new; humans have been cruel to each other for thousands of years.2 But today the ease, speed, and anonymity with which people can pass judgments and criticism onto others is unprecedented. Kids who are at the forefront of tech and social networking are learning from what they see around them.3

Children also tend not to be able to see the bigger picture. Because young children usually focus on what's right in front of them and tend to not think too far ahead, they may not realize the full effects of what behaviors like meanness, exclusion, or bullying can have on other kids. And kids are naturally self-centered, which means that they aren’t always able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes or make a conscious effort to think about how someone else might feel.4

That does not mean, however, that kids are naturally unkind.

From this family site -

Ways You Can Teach Your Kids Kindness and Why You Should

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

How to Practice Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to sweeping changes and disruptions in nearly every aspect of daily life. With mandates and guidelines changing all the time, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by our own anxieties. It is important to practice empathy during this time, not only for others but for yourself as well.

There are many benefits to practicing empathy. Empathizing with others can help you feel less lonely and more connected. It also increases the likelihood that people will reach out and help others when they need it.

In addition to boosting social connectedness and increasing helping behaviors, empathizing with others also improves your ability to regulate your emotions during times of stress. Feeling empathy allows you to better manage the anxiety you are experiencing without feeling overwhelmed.

For the full-article -

How to Practice Empathy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wishing you all the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I have been re-re-reading a book by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. I highly recommend his books 4 anyone interested in Buddhism & cherishing others & the path to enlightenment!

While reading about bodhichitta - the following possible Google searches popped into my consciousness -

Bodhisattva vow suffering - remind me to type in some of the book's explanation of the vow to work until all eings are free from suffering ...

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso kindness suffering

kadampa.org kindness

Kindness ease suffering - esp Zen habits site?

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso cherish other beings - includes azquotes which is one enormous site!

Bodhicitta help others (suffering) - esp Lions Roar site

(Challenge) respond to suffering with kindness - Kristin Neff

Buddhist teachings generosity

Click here happiness strengths - leads to ...

Berkeley well being kindness

Enjoy your day and I may post some of the more useful results from the above searches ...

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

A special bonus - not sure how I arrived at this list of 100 suggestions - kindness gets a mention as number 2 so that's not bad ...

101 Ways to Get Happier

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Make a difference in the world - a few? -

Have you met a stranger who completely changed the way you looked at this world?

That someone at the departmental shop who let you ahead of him in the queue, because your child was losing patience, or that someone in a public transport who offered you a seat because you looked so exhausted, or a vendor who waived you away the change you owed him, just because you had no coins in your pockets.

Well, this world is full of such compassionate – kind and beautiful souls! This everyday kindness is a blessing; it gives an instantaneous joy, which is refreshing, and pleasant.

Today, in our current lifestyle, how could one make a difference in this world? As the New Year dawned, when the whole world made plans and resolutions, what did you chose to do?

Here are 51 ways to make a difference in the world.

51 ways to make a difference in the world - Heartfulness Magazine

May be worth exploring that site a bit more?

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Generosity is the wish to give. It’s the wish to share. If we can actually give it’s even better. Sometimes, however, we don’t have the actual materials to give. Therefore, to avoid people thinking, “I can’t do the far-reaching attitude of generosity unless I am rich,” the Buddha said we can perfect this far-reaching attitude by developing the wish to give, because it is the wish that is the most important thing. If the wish is there, then when we have the material or whatever it is we might wish to give, then the giving comes quite naturally. But even if we have lots of things, if there is no wish to give then the giving doesn’t happen.

The three forms of generosity

It's yet another massssive site if you have the time & the inclination

 

[Geoff-Allen]

The best way to begin this practice is by thinking of a person whose suffering you feel strongly and whose happiness is very important to you. This could be someone you know or have known, or someone you’ve seen on the street or read about in the newspaper. The thought of certain people naturally and easily awakens bodhicitta in us: we care about them and we don’t want them to suffer. Think of such a person and, whether you feel love, gratitude or compassion for them, say, “May they be free of suffering and the root of suffering; may they enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.”

There are two aspects of working with bodhicitta, both of equal importance: one is connecting with the flow of bodhicitta we already feel, and the other is being awake to where that flow is blocked. So you can do this practice not only thinking of people you care about, but also visualizing people you don’t like. It’s important to have an unbiased, compassionate attitude toward whatever is arising.

At the risk of sounding like a broken-record ... lions roar is yet another site with loads of teachings & suggestions for practice - here is the page -

A Bodhicitta Practice -- Pema Chödrön

Enjoy!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Morning ritual. Greet each morning with a ritual. Try this one, suggest by the Dalai Lama: “Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” Then, when you’ve done this, try one of the practices below.

Comes from the Zen habits site -

A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life, With 7 Practices : zen habits

Cheers!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

This one doesn't actually mention the word "kindness" but I felt like sharing it anyway - a day for world peace -

One day can change the world - Kadampa Buddhism

Enjoy!