The Importance of Kindness

Often we spend our time regretting selfflagellating doubting our decisions and wondering if we can ever measure up especially in a world filled with standards and measures that are unattainable In todayamp8217s competitive marketplace of rapidly transforming landscapes and constant benchmarking we often forget that we are dealing not just with buyers sellers users members competitors analysts scientists management and employees but with analog carbonbased feelingfilled peopleHumans Messy and moody Dreamfilled and desiredriven Anxiously ambitious Undulating with uncertaintyKindness is a way to connect in a world where connections are key but it39s not easy to model in an Excel spreadsheet display in a PowerPoint or be described with any depth by GPTThe machine will rapidly compute an answer garland it with perspective refine and correlate what has been fed into its innards and then emit an output in a dazzling display of verbosity Answers that may awe us But rarely move usBelow are three takes on kindness From GPT4 author George Saunders and poet Naomi Shihab NyeTake 1 GPT4 on KindnessPrompt What is kindnessKindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity consideration or concern for others without expecting praise or reward It is often considered a virtue and is recognized in many cultures and religions as an important value Kindness can manifest in many ways including but not limited toHelping others This could involve assisting someone with their work offering to carry heavy items or helping someone cross the street The act doesn39t have to be grand to be kindComplimenting or praising someone Words of affirmation can have a huge impact on someone39s day Complimenting someone genuinely can be a simple yet effective act of kindnessEmpathy and understanding Kindness often involves understanding other people39s perspectives and feelings This could mean listening to someone when they39re having a hard time or refraining from judgment when someone makes a mistakePatience Patience especially when dealing with difficult people or situations can be a significant act of kindness It involves tempering your reaction even when you39re frustrated or angryCharitable giving This is another classic example of kindness Donating to a cause you believe in volunteering your time or even just offering someone a meal can all be acts of kindnessShowing respect Treating everyone with respect regardless of their background or beliefs is an act of kindness This could involve simple things like saying quotpleasequot and quotthank youquot or more complex acts like promoting inclusivity and fairnessIn essence kindness involves treating others the way you39d like to be treated It39s a simple concept but can have a profound impact on the worldTake 2 Author George Saunders on KindnessThe author George Saunders gave a short and remarkable speech on the importance of kindness which everyone should listen to Here is the video A key theme is quotto err in the direction of kindnessquotSome key passages of his talk to studentsamp8220When young weamp8217re anxious understandably to find out if weamp8217ve got what it takes Can we succeed Can we build a viable life for ourselves But you in particular you of this generation may have noticed a certain cyclical quality to ambition You do well in high school in hopes of getting into a good college so you can do well in the good college in the hopes of getting a good job so you can do well in the good job so you can quotAnd this is actually OK If weamp8217re going to become kinder that process has to include taking ourselves seriously as doers as accomplishers as dreamers We have to do that to be our best selvesquotStill accomplishment is unreliable 39Succeeding39 whatever that might mean to you is hard and the need to do so constantly renews itself success is like a mountain that keeps growing ahead of you as you hike it and thereamp8217s the very real danger that 39succeeding39 will take up your whole life while the big questions go untendedquotDo all the other things the ambitious things travel get rich get famous innovate lead fall in love make and lose fortunes swim naked in wild jungle rivers after first having it tested for monkey poop but as you do to the extent that you can err in the direction of kindnessquotLater George was interviewed on this talk which went viral after it was posted in the New York Times on why kindness was important Here is what he saidquotNinetynine percent of the time if you just do your best to be kind youamp8217re better off Itamp8217s the basic things like trying to have good manners keeping your assumptions about the other person a little open being willing to revise your opinionquotPerhaps itamp8217s all a selffulfilled prophecy We live in an unkind world because we believe itamp8217s an unkind worldquotThe thing Iamp8217ve noticed is that if you go out into the world ready for confrontation then confrontations find you But if you go out with a sort of diffusing energy the world reads that and feels more friendly toward you So I think thereamp8217s a circular effectquotIn the media and in our political rhetoric weamp8217re told donamp8217t be a sucker be firm be strong push back theyamp8217re trying to get you If you buy into that even on a molecular level the world smells it on you Whereas and hereamp8217s where it sounds corny the world responds to you differently if you go out thinking alright Iamp8217m going to pretend that everybody out there is my brother or my sister and if they are temporarily behaving like theyamp8217re not Iamp8217m going to pretend that theyamp8217re just confused Iamp8217m going to insist through my mannerisms and my tone of voice that I see them at their highestquotTake 3 The Poetamp160Naomi Shihab Nyeamp160on KindnessKindnessBefore you know what kindness really isyou must lose thingsfeel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened brothWhat you held in your handwhat you counted and carefully savedall this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindnessHow you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stopthe passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window foreverBefore you learn the tender gravity of kindnessyou must travel where the Indian in a white poncholies dead by the side of the roadYou must see how this could be youhow he too was someonewho journeyed through the night with plansand the simple breath that kept him aliveBefore you know kindness as the deepest thing insideyou must know sorrow as the other deepest thingYou must wake up with sorrowYou must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the clothThen it is only kindness that makes sense anymoreonly kindness that ties your shoesand sends you out into the day to gaze at breadonly kindness that raises its headfrom the crowd of the world to sayIt is I you have been looking forand then goes with you everywherelike a shadow or a friendFrom Words Under the Words Selected Poems Copyright amp169 1995 by Naomi Shihab NyePosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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The Importance of Kindness

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Rishad Tobaccowala

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Rishad Tobaccowala

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