these 4 words have the potential to change my life.
MY RELIGION IS KINDNESS
i have heard them so many times before
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and always thought they were simple and sweet
but today as i sat in meditation, they entered me
like they have never done before.
i have not been kind to the people closest to me
to the ones i love most deeply
to the ones who have the greatest capacity to love me
and hurt me.
i think of myself as a spiritual man,
and most of the time, i am happy
by the way i show up in the world.
BUT (not and) . . . .
all to often, my practice of kindness is not in sync
with who i think i am.
so often, i act from a wounded place
a place of feeling hurt . . .
by how hard i am on myself,
by the pain i feel when i others i love hurt me
and by the fear that if i am vulnerable, i will get hurt more.
quite simply the pain of being vulnerable,
(and the hurt that could happen
whether real, empathic, or imagined)
becomes my reason to protect myself
behind the walls of my silo.
the more i remain there
the stronger my desire to protect myself
and defend myself becomes.
and from that place of hurt
that place where love and kindness is most needed,
there is not the vulnerability to be open
to allow love and kindness in.
what exists is fight or flight.
in my silo, i close myself off,
the walls of my silo protect me and create distance
and kindness is replaced by fear.
that is why when i meditated on these words this morning
they entered me so deeply.
MY RELIGION IS SIMPLE.
MY RELIGION IS KINDNESS.
i smiled because it may be simple, but it is NOT easy.
and yet, easy or not, kindness is the cure.
kindness melts the wall.
when i am kind to myself, i don’t try to knock myself down,
i no longer hit myself
and no longer need to protect myself from my own attacks,
because i don’t do that anymore.
my wall melts.
kindness is the cure.
if we were all to practice kindness to each other
i believe our world would change
our relationships, our politics, our government,
our relationship to our planet.
i know the practice of kindness will change me.
and so today i put on my BeKind2U Bracelet and recommit myself to the practice of kindness.
i welcome any and all who feel drawn to join me