Friday, February 6, 2009

Kindness on the Path to Enlightenment

For some of us, 'kindness' may be reserved for strangers. One would think that the ones closest to us would be the recipients of the most kindness, but unfortunately in many cases this is not true. When people are close to us, it can be easy to take them for granted. Often we are not kind to ourselves, in a variety of ways - negative self-judgment and disparaging remarks, unhealthy behavior, etc. And that kindness we show those strangers? Many times, nothing more than a put-on.

Here's the thing: kindness isn't just "being nice". It's being accepting. Of oneself, of others, of everything. If you can learn to love yourself and others unconditionally and completely, warts and all, you have shifted your mind-set away from the false idea that 'something is wrong', and have instead begun to live happily in the moment.

Have you ever had a moment of pure stillness? Or pure connection, with a partner or a friend or a pet - when you know that all is just as it should be? Enlightenment is just stringing these instances of love and acceptance together.

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