Acts of Kindness Expand our Capacity to Love
Last Sunday, our parish deacon, David Hammer, delivered an excellent homily in which he challenged us to be kind because kindness expands our capacity to love.
I found that sentiment to be especially profound because love is the thing from which all else flows. And as we find ourselves immersed in this holiday season, being kind should be at the top of our “to-do” list.
Regardless of your personal and religious beliefs–Christian, Muslim, Jew, agnostic, atheist–love is the single thing that has the capacity to unite us. We have trouble getting there, though, don’t we? We’re divided on so many issues we seem to forget we are all in this world together and we’re all going to leave it behind someday. So it’s our responsibility to care for each other while we’re here, regardless of politics, economic status, race, or anything else. We are meant to be kind, to have compassion toward each other.
The Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton wrote, “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone.” We are all dependent on one another. Kindness and compassion lift us to expand our capacity to love. Just think what our world could be like if we could set aside differences and say to each other, “I don’t always agree with you, but I love you.”
Kindness brings its own reward, too. It’s healthy. Scientists have discovered that physiologically, kindness can positively change our brains. It boosts serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters in our brains that increase our feelings of satisfaction and well-being. When we are kind, we feel compassion and belonging and we pull others with us into that realm, regardless of our differences. When we begin to reach that expanded capacity to love, it makes us happy, and we want to do it even more.
I don’t know about you, but I struggle every day with being kind. I find I am not always as nice to others as I could be and often feel frustrated, irritated and resentful. I know you do, too. Sometimes it’s tough to get past an ideological difference and just let it go in favor of loving someone. But I also know life is short and I shouldn’t waste time in anger or resentment. Neither should you.
This holiday season, I challenge everyone to raise the bar on kindness. Set aside differences and smile. Open a door. Drop a few extra bucks into the Salvation Army bucket. Smile at a stranger and say, “Hello!” Love each other, no matter what.
We–and our world–desperately need it.
SQUIBS 