Random Acts of Kindness
It doesn’t take much research on social media to see people being kind to others as they photograph themselves in the act, to post on the Internet for all to see. Their intention is to share their act of kindness with the world. But, is their act of kindness an authentic act of benevolence, or an act of self-promotion? Does this behavior come from the heart, or the ego? Can the recipient of this act of kindness feel that it is genuine, or staged? I would think that to be a true act of benevolence, there must be a feeling of authentic love, not only for oneself, but for all those who will benefit from the act of kindness.
If we were to truly examine our actions, would we be able to understand our motives? Does this act empower the greater good, or does this act just boost our self-image? History has shown us many forward-thinking people who have set aside their own well-being and their need for self-aggrandizing to help those less fortunate. Can we rekindle their authentic benevolence today to better the world around us?
If so, then what is holding us back?
Oftentimes we believe we are just a single person, so what could we possibly do to change the world? As Dr. Martin Luther King, or Gandi have done? This appears to be such an overwhelming task. Think for a moment of what the Dalai Lama is to claimed to have said, “If you think that you cannot make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a single mosquito.”
With this in mind, we must become aware of how powerful we are when we live through our authentic love and the benevolence that radiates out from this love. To live with a loving, authentic heart, is to share this love without condition or expectation; imagine being kind for the sake of being kind.
You may ask, “How can this awareness fit into today’s society? I am only one person.” If we begin to accept that our true nature is love, then we can become the mosquito in the room, building a presence with the intention to be benevolent without condition. From this place of awareness, our desire for a more compassionate world will transcend any challenges we may face. We become kind and loving because this is our true path to a greater way of life for all people, not because we want to post it on social media.
Authentic Love
Though this may take strength and courage in the face of many obstacles, we will begin to realize that this is the only way to live, and soon we will no longer worry about what other people think. Our life’s mission becomes one of being benevolent to all those we encounter in our day, no matter if they agree with us or not.
Our authentic love becomes who we are, and we are willing to share this love with the desire to expand the loving consciousness of the world. We then see the world changing before our eyes because we have chosen a path of love, kindness and compassion. This is the power of benevolence and it is within our capabilities, all we have to do is to choose to affect the world around us in benevolent ways…one act of compassion at a time.
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