Commentary

‘Kindness Day’ should really be every day

November 8, 2023   ·   0 Comments

The Dalai Lama said his religion is simply, “kindness.” Kindness isn’t really about kind acts. It’s more about integrity, honesty, generosity and even moral courage. Lady Gaga said kindness healed her and Jean-Jacques Rousseau said there’s no greater wisdom than kindness. By definition, kindness is “a type of behaviour marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistance, or concern for others without expecting praise or reward in return.”

Pluses and minuses; the ledger of life

When we prepare for a job, role or volunteer position, we’re often asked about our pluses and minuses. Of course we brag a bit about what we bring to the table, and downplay our negative qualities. When we really do a deep dive into our personal numbers – the proverbial ledger of life – it’s quite a different story.

Gizmos cause us a multitude of frustrations

Things that are annoying usually stay that way. If you think about it, almost all of the frustrating gizmos, contraptions, machines and items have inherent weaknesses. They are prone to failure, just like us. We modern-day consumers believe that when we plunk down our money on a new gizmo, it should serve us for years to come. Alas, feeble humans, we are doomed by our own creations.

Some things really do last forever

There are times when I think about how fleeting our lives are. After seven or eight decades on the planet (if we’re lucky) what remains of our existence? Well, let’s take a look at that, shall we?

Life is really about helping others

Nelson Mandela once said that overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Poverty is not natural, it’s man-made and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And Martin Luther King Jr. asked: “What are you doing for others?"

New words spoiling the language

There are more than one million distinct words in the English language. Most of use only 25,000 words on a regular basis. And yet, we keep adding to the list and making our trusty dictionaries that much larger. There are a few that make me cringe, every time I hear or read them.

Can we ever really ‘get it right’ in our lives?

After all these years, I still don’t know if I’ve gotten it right. I shed tears instead of burdens. Behind my smiles and smirks are other things, dark things, nagging things. Last week I received some positive news about my health, but surprisingly, I didn’t know what to do with that information. Should I celebrate? Should I be relieved? I almost felt lost, without such a burden hanging over me. Now what do I do?

Let’s spread the concept of long-living ‘blue zones’

The key to longevity, according to Carl Reiner, is to interact with other people. Turns out he was right. And comedian George Burns, who made it to 100, once said the key to longevity is avoiding stress, worry and tension. Turns out he was right, too.

Make sure you find the purpose in your work!

t’s been said the reward for a job well done is that you get to do even more! When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible, according to Howard Schultz. He also said that if you don’t love what you’re doing with unbridled passion and enthusiasm, you’re not going to succeed when you hit obstacles.

Home ownership requires a certain handiness

t’s been said that if your man isn’t handsome, he better be handy! Our species has succeeded and evolved, largely because we have hands, fingers and a decent-sized brain. We can conceptualize, design, build and create. It remains our strength over our fellow mammals on this planet. Imagine if our simian cousins could build structures and tools? That’s definitely a new Planet of the Apes movie to be sure.

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