Hello, this is my first time writing here, I hope I'm not too late for the kindness journey, as I decided to join in today.
Kindness is a journey that involves showing empathy, compassion, and goodwill through our actions to others. It involves being considerate and generous to others.
Being kind is a choice, some persons are born and just naturally exhibit kindness, but I would say it is still influenced by some factors around them. For some by seeing their parents being kind to people around them,while some others learned the act of being kind from experiences they went through, or other external factors that taught them to be kind.
Kindness should be something every human being is supposed to demonstrate to others, both to those they are familiar with and even strangers, because as the saying goes the kindness you give always finds a way of returning back to you.
In our society today, there are some things that could hinder an individual from being kind or showing kindness.
To begin with, it could be from a direct experience, or from an indirect situation that was seen from a distance, these could be barriers that hinder some persons from being kind.
Some barriers to showing kindness include but are not limited to the following:
Lack of Empathy
Empathy has to do with understanding the feeling or emotional state of someone, if someone cannot understand what the next person is feeling or going through, he/she might not really see a need to be kind to the person if the need arises, not because he/she isn't a good person, but because they cannot relate to or understand what the person is going through. So lack of empathy could be a barrier that hinders the show of kindness among individuals.
Past Negative Experiences
If one has had a traumatizing experience while lending a helping hand to a friend or a stranger, they could likely be hesitant to show kindness in the future because of that singular act. For example, if a person had shown kindness before but the act was either rejected or misinterpreted, this could lead to the person being hesitant to show kindness in the future, fearing a similar rejection or misinterpretation may occur.
Fear of being Taken Advantage of
Some persons have this mentality that if they are kind, it might make them vulnerable to people who might want to take advantage of them or exploit them. They might have this notion as a result of some past bitter experiences, hence the resist showing kindness to others.
Societal or Cultural Norms
There are some societies that have social hierarchy, those on the top of the hierarchy are usually meant to associate with people of their own status and social class, this might hinder some persons high up from showing kindness to those at the bottom of the strata because they perceive that they are way lower in status and class as compared to them. Some persons who might even want to show kindness might be afraid of the judgment that might come with such an act. People of their social class might begin to see them as different, which would in turn hinder them from being kind to those below them.
Overcoming Barriers to Kindness
To overcome the barriers of kindness, I believe a shift or change in mentality is the first step to take if one must overcome some or all of these barriers, believing that kindness is a way of life and should be imbibed in all we do as regards our relationship with our fellow humans, be it family, friends or even strangers.
In conclusion, always remember, that kindness has a way of finding its way back to you.
MY KINDNESS JOURNAL
DAY 1: I gave some quantity of rice that I got at work to my neighbor.
DAY 2: I bought lunch for my colleague at work.
DAY 3: I told my sister how proud I was of her regarding her self development journey she started some time ago.
DAY 4: I called a friend who was sick and encouragd him.
DAY 5: I sent some to an acquientance that needed it.
This is my entry to the #Dreemport monthly challenge.
Thanks for stopping by🥰🥰
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I don't think it's just about a mentality issue, it does happen. I can't even remember the number of times I've experienced this and each experience leaves me thinking of not being kind again but you know, you can't really stop doing what has become part of you so easily.
Very insightful post. Well done.
#dreemerforlife
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Welcome to the kindness community! Really glad to have you here. The kindness collaboration with @dreemport ended today, but I am continuing the kindness challenge until the end of March, it's just not with the dreemport part of the challenge. I will be posting a kindness fact every day, and some ideas for kind acts.
Empathy and compassion is truly what kindness is all about. We can build people up or we can tear them down.It is something we need to think about if we can before we speak from a place of anger. I lost my cousin and grandmother over words said to them and nearl;y myself too.
Children are taught and model what they see. Even when we do not think they understand or notice something, they are soaking things up. Children are the future, we are raising our future leaders, thinkers, teadvers, doers.
Lack of empathy can be for so many reasons, but the main reason is it was not taught or allowed, was unsafe or dangerous to practice, although we can emphasize without taking actions. It depends on the situation and if actions are needed, but some people can not relate to other people's pain.
Trauma can be a huge obstacle for kindness, especially to oneself. Sometimes when someone is kind, as you mention, they can be exploited or taken advantage of. That could prevent someone from being as kind or as often as before. But I believe that what goes around, comes around, people will one day have to account for their actions. That is something we can not escape. Tradition, culture, societal norms and other obstacles perpetuate a cycle of oppression and hostility. We have more in common than we don’t, we need each other. I long for a day when everybody will see that. I believe it starts with conversation and education right.
I loved your kindness diary!
Thank you @gregscloud I really appreciate your words, I'll look out for the kindness fact everyday.
Its never too late to join in the challenge and though the collaboration ended, we all should keep on practicing and spreading kindness.
#dreemerforlife
These are vital points that hinders one from practicing kindness which you mentioned but I want to talk about Societal or Cultural Norms . In one of the villages in my hometown, a wife is not permitted to give out money or any help to her family members or friends without the concept of the husband otherwise she will run mad
This is one culture I detest alot.. and can easily hinder some persons from showing kindness
#dreemerforlife
This is so bad o, I hope we overcome most of these barriers and be able to show as much kindness as we want. Thanks for stopping by.
Yesooo
It's bad ..I hope so too
Good morning