{"id":1876,"date":"2018-09-04T06:39:01","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T06:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigfinnestad.com\/?p=1876"},"modified":"2018-09-04T11:44:45","modified_gmt":"2018-09-04T11:44:45","slug":"seven-surprising-not-surprising-things-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigfinnestad.com\/?p=1876","title":{"rendered":"Seven Surprising and Not-So-Surprising Things About Kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"

#BeKind starts this week at The Water\u2019s Edge<\/a>. Some equate kindness to being polite or nice. Like holding a door open for somebody or saying \u201cthank you\u201d or not confronting somebody over something trivial. Those are all pretty mundane virtues and I wouldn\u2019t spend four weeks talking about such things. Kindness is not only God\u2019s idea\u2014it is who God is. We are created in God\u2019s image and, at our best, are kind and do kindness. Here are seven surprising and not-so-surprising things about kindness:<\/p>\n

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  1. It\u2019s cool to be kind<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Winning an argument and proving you are right is pretty lame. So is being sarcastic and cynical. I don\u2019t know which is worse: tearing another person down or being indifferent. I guess it doesn\u2019t matter because both are harmful. The coolest people I know seek understanding, are encouraging, build people up, and care about others. The coolest people I know are kind.<\/p>\n

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    1. Kindness is fun <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Complain or listen to somebody complain. That will wear you our faster than running up a steep hill and then doing a bunch of push-ups. Judging people and gossiping and keeping score might seem like a good idea at the time. So did getting a tattoo late one night when you were on vacation and not thinking so clearly. Do you really want to have fun in life with no resentment or regrets? Be kind.<\/p>\n

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      1. Kindness is right <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Being kind doesn\u2019t mean enabling a self-destructive behavior or letting people take advantage of you. Being kind means you care enough to walk alongside somebody with clear expectations and benevolent empathy so they may experience growth and gratification.<\/p>\n

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        1. Kindness is good for you <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          God says kindness is good for you. If that doesn\u2019t do much for you: medical, psychological, and anthropological research concludes kindness is good for you. If you have a distrust for academic research, be kind for the rest of the month and you will experience kindness being good for you.<\/p>\n

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          1. Kindness is good for others <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Aristotle describes kindness as helpfulness towardssomeone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage ofthe helper himself, but for that of the person helped<\/em>. Of course, you don\u2019t need some dead, Greek philosopher to explain to you something you already knew because you have had people be mean to you, people not care about you, and people be kind to you. And kindness is your favorite.<\/p>\n

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            1. Kindness is always possible <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Sometimes kindness is going to be easy. Sometimes kindness will be difficult. But kindness is always possible. And best.<\/p>\n

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              1. Kindness is what the world needs<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Ours is a world of hostility, depression, distraction, intolerance, boredom, selfishness, anxiety, stress, and comparison. Kindness is like a spring of fresh, cold water to a weary and thirsty traveller in the desert. So be kind!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                #BeKind starts this week at The Water\u2019s Edge. Some equate kindness to being polite or nice. Like holding a door open for somebody or saying \u201cthank you\u201d or not confronting somebody over something trivial. Those are all pretty mundane virtues…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,6],"tags":[228,182],"class_list":["post-1876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-formation","category-waters-edge","tag-bekind","tag-kindness"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n