In a world where insults and criticism seem only a few taps on a smartphone away, thinking before you speak has been given a renewed meaning. Research – and just general observation of other human beings – prove that kindness and compassion toward others work wonders.
History is being written at a pace that is faster than ever. Does that mean that the world is spinning faster? Not really. It just means that with our technology we are progressing through changes at a pace that was previously unheard of. My history classes taught me that written language started thousands of years BC, and logic tells me that stories were passed on from person-to-person in an ancient game of telephone long before that. Now, we have live streams of world events. Instant news with no filters.
No filters.
Think about that for a brief moment – everything you say is recorded for posterity. Every key stroke. Every video clip. Every slip of the tongue. Whether for good or bad, whether for right or wrong, no matter your intentions. It becomes a part of history that we will be judged on when our time has passed.
Dr. James Doty, MD, the founder and director for the Stanford University Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, creates programs and workshops using the science behind the power of compassion and kindness to improve health. For instance, a workshop participant who was going through cancer treatment shared how her world-renowned physician delivered her cancer diagnosis – never looking her in the eye, explained her prognosis as a series of statistics, and walked out abruptly. While a difficult situation itself, the physician compounded this by his less than empathetic manner that resulted in further pain to the patient and potentially negatively affecting her prognosis.
How we teach our children throughout the years and paths of their education have an impact on their mental health and academic performance. Do our teaching methods show our words are being absorbed by a computer, or do they promote kindness in the classroom?
A simple search of the internet using “kindness of strangers” or “social media kindness” will give you links to articles, books, movies, news stories, videos, pictures, blogs, and so much more. If I were a gambler I’d bet that they also reference the positive impact in the mental and emotional states of both the doer and the receiver.
Kindness is important more now than ever, and it will only continue to grow in importance as our words and actions are more frequently documented. Why not take another moment before you tap our your next post to reflect on the potential impact?
“The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.”
#anyway #reflectionsofanyway #kindness #motherteresa #motherteresaquotes
Reflections of Anyway 