Let us continue on the path of Kindness
In a blog a few weeks ago I shared how I was wary as we began this New Year, 2020.
I was happily surprised this past Sunday (1/19/20) when I was reading the Book Review section of the NY Times and found an entire page dedicated to reviewing books on Kindness edited by Judith Newman, author of: “To Siri with Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son and the Kindness of Machines.”
I believe in the evolution of thought. Newman’s review of Books on Kindness reminds me that we’re not alone in recognizing the need for Kindness in our society. There are many of us. Below are excerpts from several sources on Kindness which Judith Newman included in her article.
She begins with a quote from former President Barack Obama recently speaking at U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings memorial service, President Obama said: “Being a strong man includes being kind, and there’s nothing weak about kindness and compassion, nothing weak about looking out for others.”
Next Newman quotes from “Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues that Will Change our Life and the World” (St. Martin’s Press). The author, Jonathan Rockford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity shares the following seven virtues that can change our lives and that of the world: Kindness, Community, Empowerment, Joy, Respect, Generosity and Service.
Sounds doable to me.Her next review is from Dr. Kelli Harding’s “The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier and Healthier Lives with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness.” The title of the book refers to a research study done in 1978 in which researchers were trying to establish a relationship between high cholesterol and heart health. The rabbits were fed a very high fat-content diet which led to heart problems except for those rabbits who were cuddled and talked to while they ate. They did not experience heart problems. Kindness is medicinal.
Dr. Harding, Columbia University Medical Center research also shows that people who are sick recover more quickly if they have people visiting them, showing kindness. A researched reminder of how our interconnectedness keeps us healthier. The miracle of Kindness.
Let us continue then on the path of Kindness for a saner and healthier country and world.
Kindness Changes Everything.
Bridget
The Annunciation Blog 