Just Be Kind

Risking Yourself for the Comfort of Others

Obliterating Boundaries

The desire to control how other people react to perceived threats or the world in general is widespread, and sometimes suspicious.

“If you hold kindness as the best response in all situations, people can take advantage of you. All they have to do is ply you with guilt for being unkind, uncaring, unloving, un-empathetic, uncompassionate, unsympathetic and uncharitable. Being too selfless puts oneself at risk.” Jeremy E. Sherman Ph.D.

The word kind has vague parameters.

What do you mean when you say kind? Do you mean charity? Courtesy? Compassion? Being friendly?

Is it saying yes to a request you would rather refuse?

Kindness can be any or all of those things, according to the values, wants and needs of the person issuing the command to be kind.

The demand to be kind is often deliberately fluid.

What if kindness — to you — means giving money to the homeless, but that particular…