If You Can Be Anything Be Kind

There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect.  The world can be harsh and negative; but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself.  Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.

The word ‘kindness’ has a gentle sound which seems to echo the presence of compassionate goodness.  When someone is kind to you, you feel understood and seen.  There is no judgment or harsh perception directed towards you.  Kindness has gracious eyes; it is not small-minded or competitive; it wants nothing back for itself.

Kindness strikes a resonance with the depths of your own heart; it also suggests that your vulnerability though somehow exposed is not taken advantage of; rather, it has become an occasion of dignity and empathy.  Kindness casts a different light, an evening light that has the depth of colour and patience to illuminate what is complex and rich in difference.

Despite all the darkness, human hope is based on the instinct that at the deepest level of reality some intimate kindness holds sway.  This is the heart of blessing. To believe in blessing is to believe that our being here, our very presence in the world, is itself the first gift, the primal blessing…………..

To be born is to be chosen.  To be created and come to birth is to be blessed.

Some primal kindness chose us, and brought us through the forest of dreaming until we could emerge into the clearance of individuality, with a path of life opening before us through the world.

The beginning often holds the clue to everything that follows.  Given the nature of our beginning, it is no wonder that our hearts are imbued with longing for beauty, meaning, order, creativity, compassion and love.  We approach this world with this roster of longings and expect that in some way the world will respond and confirm our desire.  Our longing knows it cannot force the fulfilment of its desire; yet it does instinctively expect that primal benevolence to respond to it.  This is the threshold where blessing comes alive.

Benedictus, A Book of Blessings – John O’Donohue