Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #59

Position Yourself To Be Kind

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. (Buddha)

Some Definitions

Teach - To impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in. To cause to learn by example or experience.

This - What is about to follow.

Triple - Threefold; consisting of three parts. Of three kinds; threefold in character or relationship.

Truth - Conformity with fact or reality; verity. The true or actual state of a matter. Actuality or actual existence. A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.

All - The whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration). The whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively). The greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree).

Generous - Liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish. Free from meanness or smallness of mind or character.

Heart - The center of emotion, esp. as contrasted to the head as the center of the intellect. Capacity for sympathy; feeling; affection. Spirit, courage, or enthusiasm.

Kind - Of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person. Having, showing, or proceeding from benevolence. Mild; gentle; clement.

Speech - The faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one’s thoughts and emotions by speech sounds and gesture. A form of communication in spoken language, made by a speaker before an audience for a given purpose.

Life - A corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul. The general or universal condition of human existence.

Service - An act of helpful activity; help; aid. The performance of any duties or work for another; helpful or professional activity. Ready to be of help or use to someone; at one’s disposal.

Compassion - A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Things - Anything that is or may become an object of thought. Matters; affairs. An action, deed, event, or performance.

Renew - To restore or replenish. To revive; reestablish. To begin again; recommence. To begin or take up again, as an acquaintance, a conversation, etc.; resume.

Humanity - The quality or condition of being human; human nature. The quality of being humane; kindness; benevolence. All human beings collectively; the human race; humankind.

Source: Dictionary.com

What Is This Quote Suggesting?

The quote suggests there are 3 universal truths which we must all learn and teach to others:

• We must all have a kind, unselfish and generous heart;

• We must all learn to express our thoughts in a kind, gentle, benevolent manner; and

• We must all live a life of service to others and compassion towards others.

If we are able to do all 3 of these things then we will be living a life full of actions and thoughts which will constantly work towards restoring and reetablishing humanity.

So What Is Kindness?

Kindness is really just compassion taken several steps further.

When one is compassionate, they act on behalf of others because they have a desire to alleviate another’s suffering.

When someone is kind, they do so BEFORE any suffering has necessarily taken place.

In other words, they are compassionate, BEFORE the suffering has taken place. In other words, kindness is a preventative measure. Kindness is something wise people do, just because it is a good thing to do and just because it helps others.

As I like to say, Kindness is like Compassion on steroids !!!

Kindness is acting nicely toward others, simply because it it the right thing to do and simply because it makes the world a better place.

Kindness Is A Rare Skill That Should Be Taught More Often

It’s amazing.  In all the business classes I’ve taken, I’ve never taken one called Kindness 101.  In all the classes we took in elementary, junior high and high school, I’m not sure if kindness was ever the main subject.

YET, we are expected to learn kindness, mostly be example.  In other words, it is not taught to us directly, it is taught to us indirectly.  We are constantly shown examples of kindness and we are expected to learn from them.

I’m not so sure that’s the best way to teach them.

I believe they need to be taught to us (especially our children), in a more direct manner.

If It’s Not Going To Taught In Schools, It’s Up To Us To Be The Teachers

To be honest, I’m not sure if it would be totally fair to expect our school teachers to teach kindness directly to our children.  While I believe many of them are more than qualified to do so, the very nature of a school curriculum makes it difficult for them to teach those types of lessons.

SO, if we can all agree that kindness needs to be taught, it’s going to be up to teach it.

The best way I know how to do that is embodied in a bumper sticker you’ve probably seen before.

Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.

Quite simply, all you have to do is be kind to others and make sure your children see you being kind to others.  They will learn from your example and we will all help make the world a better place.