This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom
Has someone ever been kind to you? Does it not make you feel special? Does it not make you want to be kind to others in return? Kindness is contagious. The ripples of kindness is how we can think of this. When we are kind to others then others are kind to us. Give without expectation but do know that the best way to get is by giving. Do unto others as we would like to be done to us. It is in our nature to be kind. Mankind should be kind. As I said before, kindness is contagious. The opposite can also be said. Hurt people hurt people. We must break these types of cycles and kindness is just the thing that can do that. My phone slipped and I accidentally typed ⁷ (that is to the 7th power). Is there any meaning that can be derived from this moment? Let's see. As I started typing "kindness to the 7th power" I got "kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord". This makes sense in that we will be rewarded for our kindness. Even though we do not need reason or reward to be kind. It is just the right thing to do.
In searching I came this motivational poster on the Amazon Store - The 7 rules of life. I do not know why it says that it is currently unavailable but the message of this poster certainly resonates with me and I would like it to be the takeaway of this chapter. I am going to react to all 7 rules and share my thoughts. First rule says to smile. I understand this one because I wrote a whole chapter on this in my Love Letters book and what I remember is this quote by Victor Borge - "A smile is the shortest distance between two people." Smiling is the easiest way to make friends. Smile instead of worrying. Smile because your soul is pure and happy. Second rule says to be kind. We have the power to make the world a better place one act of kindness at a time and do not forget to be kind to yourself. We cannot pour from an empty cup. There is freedom in kindness. We are breaking free from the chains of selfishness and the likes. We are connecting with the true essence of our being. I am now reminded of something that you probably have also come across before. Before you speak THINK. Is it (t)rue, (h)elpful, (i)nspirational, (n)ecessary and (k)ind.
The third rule says that we should not give up. It does get better and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep moving forward. Keep improving. Keep trying. The fourth rule says do not compare. We are all dealt a different set of cards in life. Our journey is unique to us. We are products of circumstances that make us different. Do not measure yourself against anybody else. Just find your happy place. Words that I want to live by and that I have pinned on my Facebook profile. Be-you-tiful. The fifth rule says to avoid negativity. There is too much of that in the world. We can be the light that brightens the world. Light over darkness. Positivity over negativity. Do not feed the negativity. Sometimes I venture into the facebook comments of local stories and I am bombarded by negativity and it does not feel right. This reminds me of something that I saw posted recently, "Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics." We should be constructive whenever criticism is needed. We should be gentle and kind with our words and actions. We should think of solutions. We should offer solutions. We should lend a helping hand. We should be part of the solution. The problem might very well be with us. We are the problem. We have to be the change we wish to see.
The sixth rule says to make peace with your past. We cannot change the past but we can change the future and the future is created in the present. We can and should learn from our past. I am humbled by my past. I am humbled by how far I have come and my achievements. I am humbled by my missteps. I am humbled by the power of love and kindness. I am humbled by the power of God. The seventh rule is to take care of your body and your mind. I struggle with taking care of my body. I need to do better. I need to eat healthier and I need to exercise. There was a time I was better at this. I would like to add the spirit to this rule though. Mind, body and spirit. Being kind is good for our mind, body and spirit. There is nothing that should stop us from being kind. We are free to be kind. There is freedom in kindness.
*Giving is also described as a loan in the Quran - (57:11) Who is it that will give Allah a beautiful loan? A loan that Allah will repay after increasing it many times and grant him a generous reward.
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