Kindness is a marvelous force that manages to break down every wall between people
Despite Anne Herbert's famous precept, "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty”, in reality, actually seeing someone practicing "random acts of kindness" has become increasingly rare.
And even if anthropological explanations attribute the lack of courtesy in big cities to the high population density that characterizes them, we still cannot justify the progressive loss of these acts of kindness, most of all, because kindness is the basis of every human relationship.
Kindness, in fact, should not be a luxury, but a way of life in each community, because it nourishes positive emotions and reactions --- and protects us from the negative ones.
All of us are born with the ability to be kind precisely because altruism and cooperation are the bonds that hold together every community. According to some studies, as early as six months old, children are able to choose whether or not to be generous with others and are also very receptive to kindness.
Therefore, the progressive reduction of kindness in today's society is the result of an extremely individualistic culture that does not really consider kindness to be a value and does not promote it.
Therefore, despite the fact that the ability to be kind is innate in human beings, still, it must be developed and cultivated because kindness is quite complex. Being kind implies self-control, self-esteem, empathy, the appreciation of others, and an acute awareness of the relationship between the individual and the group. In short, kindness requires a high level of emotional intelligence.
On the other hand, the benefits for those who are kind and considerate in a gratuitous way towards others, are undoubted and immense. Among them we must remember that being kind:
- 1. Protects physical health. Since those who are kind, argue and fight much less frequently, this results, in relation to the brain, in a lower production of cortisol - which is the stress hormone - with a corresponding increase in the production of oxytocin - the hormone of happiness.
- 2. Preserves mental health. Being kind to others makes us feel better about ourselves, making us more confident which is a psychological condition that prevents stress.
- 3. Contributes to building good social relationships. Kindness helps us to connect better with others since it implies empathy and also helps us to develop the habit of responding to kindness. This is because kindness attracts other acts of kindness in return.
- 4. Defends against the negative vibrations of others. Kindness dismantles any hostile or negative behaviors and attitudes and is, therefore, an effective response against aggression and resistance.
