I've been gone a while
Dear Dedicated Readers: You will note that I have been absent for some time now. As you know I have returned to university to upgrade my general arts and sciences degree for one with a four-year honours status in philosophy. Last year things slowed down when I went back to school. This year ... they just stopped ... at least as far as making regular monthly additions to this blog were concerned. On the first day of one class I learned that I was over 140 pages behind in the readings. That's where things started and ... I've never caught up since. Other than a couple of days off ... and I'm including weekends ... I have been busy most every moment of most every day ... either studying, writing or reading. My wife? I think I can remember her name! 
Seriously ... it feels like that sometimes. I am concerned about you ... and am concerned about your happiness and whether or not your thoughtful acts of kindness have been manifesting a better world for you lately, its just that I ... you're human kindness dude ... hasn't been around so much to remind you to check in and see if you're being kind to your self and others. If you automatically receive updates, then use this as a reminder. Have you been actively kind to others lately? If you have not, have you caught yourself wondering why others haven't been kind to you lately? This is a huge, vastly reciprocal concept we're dealing with here which requires you to be kind to others before they are being kind to you. It may not sound fair, but, I believe that is the way this all works ... or at least starts. It takes one person to be kind before others will begin.
Two asides: ONE: a woman was walking by my study area and she dropped a handful of change. She didn't stop to pick it up, but stopped, looked down, sighed and kept walking. So, being nearby I walked over, picked it all up and trotted after her and handed the 41 cents back to her. I don't know how those kinds of little acts impact the world, but I did surprise her for the better ... so maybe that changed her life just a little for the positive. Maybe she was thinking no one cares at that moment ... and then ... she had living proof that someone did.
Two: I've been thinking a lot lately about how we all accept the following as normal. We belong to a group, but due to a change in life circumstances, we need to quit or are compelled to quit. Maybe the group isn't that formal. Maybe it's a bunch of students passing through a host of classes together. We talk in class or at the club or whatever and we are interested in one another and we care about one another and we're all interested in the same subject matter ... but then we quit the group and ... we never talk to them again. I had that happen to me after I left Rotary. Maybe they thought I left in a huff! I did not! Maybe they thought I didn't care about what they were doing. Neither was that thought true. But isn't it odd, that as the time passes, you never seem to talk to those people ever again after you've been affiliated with them for years. Why don't I contact them? (I've done so on occasion.) Why doesn't anyone from the group ever contact you? It's like the entire experience never happened and ... we all accept this notions as normal.
I think it's a rather sad comment on things, really. So to that end, of the folk I talk with at school, I'm single-handedly inviting them to my house for dinner so that at least a greater connection or bond is built between us. I'm saying I care about you and before you graduate, you're coming to my home so I can share myself with you ... and so you can share yourself with me. In the case of group-leaving-me-alone-forever syndrome, I'm doing what I can to prevent that from happening again this time. Maybe I didn't appear interested in others enough in the past cases where this syndrome has taken effect. Not this time.
This time, I'm going to prove to them that I care more than just a conversation while in the group. I'm going to extend the group's boundaries and invite them into my home ... maybe that is the kindness thing to do. I really rather hope so. Maybe my act of inviting them into my home will change things for the positive. We're here for each other. Maybe it's time I started acting like I really believed that.
So the next time you know you have to leave a group or association, exchange numbers, email addresses etc. with those with whom you connected. Build your network. It's the human kindness thing to do. Failure to do so leaves life as it was before ... and ... creating a larger network, seems 'more right' at least to me!
God Bless everyone and I hope to see you via more humankindness articles before Christmas ... and after exams!
Owen
Seriously ... it feels like that sometimes. I am concerned about you ... and am concerned about your happiness and whether or not your thoughtful acts of kindness have been manifesting a better world for you lately, its just that I ... you're human kindness dude ... hasn't been around so much to remind you to check in and see if you're being kind to your self and others. If you automatically receive updates, then use this as a reminder. Have you been actively kind to others lately? If you have not, have you caught yourself wondering why others haven't been kind to you lately? This is a huge, vastly reciprocal concept we're dealing with here which requires you to be kind to others before they are being kind to you. It may not sound fair, but, I believe that is the way this all works ... or at least starts. It takes one person to be kind before others will begin.
Two asides: ONE: a woman was walking by my study area and she dropped a handful of change. She didn't stop to pick it up, but stopped, looked down, sighed and kept walking. So, being nearby I walked over, picked it all up and trotted after her and handed the 41 cents back to her. I don't know how those kinds of little acts impact the world, but I did surprise her for the better ... so maybe that changed her life just a little for the positive. Maybe she was thinking no one cares at that moment ... and then ... she had living proof that someone did.
Two: I've been thinking a lot lately about how we all accept the following as normal. We belong to a group, but due to a change in life circumstances, we need to quit or are compelled to quit. Maybe the group isn't that formal. Maybe it's a bunch of students passing through a host of classes together. We talk in class or at the club or whatever and we are interested in one another and we care about one another and we're all interested in the same subject matter ... but then we quit the group and ... we never talk to them again. I had that happen to me after I left Rotary. Maybe they thought I left in a huff! I did not! Maybe they thought I didn't care about what they were doing. Neither was that thought true. But isn't it odd, that as the time passes, you never seem to talk to those people ever again after you've been affiliated with them for years. Why don't I contact them? (I've done so on occasion.) Why doesn't anyone from the group ever contact you? It's like the entire experience never happened and ... we all accept this notions as normal.
I think it's a rather sad comment on things, really. So to that end, of the folk I talk with at school, I'm single-handedly inviting them to my house for dinner so that at least a greater connection or bond is built between us. I'm saying I care about you and before you graduate, you're coming to my home so I can share myself with you ... and so you can share yourself with me. In the case of group-leaving-me-alone-forever syndrome, I'm doing what I can to prevent that from happening again this time. Maybe I didn't appear interested in others enough in the past cases where this syndrome has taken effect. Not this time.
This time, I'm going to prove to them that I care more than just a conversation while in the group. I'm going to extend the group's boundaries and invite them into my home ... maybe that is the kindness thing to do. I really rather hope so. Maybe my act of inviting them into my home will change things for the positive. We're here for each other. Maybe it's time I started acting like I really believed that.
So the next time you know you have to leave a group or association, exchange numbers, email addresses etc. with those with whom you connected. Build your network. It's the human kindness thing to do. Failure to do so leaves life as it was before ... and ... creating a larger network, seems 'more right' at least to me!
God Bless everyone and I hope to see you via more humankindness articles before Christmas ... and after exams!
Owen
Comments