Kindness: A reason to give what you can

A well-known scholar Dalai Lama is quoted as saying that: “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” He adds that: “When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion and respect.” In other words, every act of kindness has ripple effects that spread more love, happiness and kindness in the world. We can choose to bring out our bright light into the world through our kind acts or we can choose not to be kind at all.
But then, why is the act of kindness important? Why is it the best gift to give? LifeXtra in a bid to get answers to these questions spoke with a cross-section of people whose responses are diverse and interesting.
Ufuoma Akaba, a businessman in his mid-50s, believes that kindness is a quality everyone should possess because it is an act of being friendly, generous, helpful and forgiving. Relating a personal experience, he said: “In my early days as a bachelor and when I was job hunting, I had searched all nooks and crannies, giving my curriculum vitae to friends and family and but I got no feedback. Some of them were even blunt and told me to my face that they couldn’t help, while some promised and failed. One day I got wind of a job advertisement somewhere so I went to the place, applied, qualified for the interview and was eventually accepted.”
He added that: “After I was accepted into the organisation, I was told that one requirement I must meet was bringing a guarantor who would stand as a surety if anything went wrong. That became my challenge, nobody wanted to stand in for me, all my family members and friends whom I went to didn’t want to help, and the deadline for my registration was ticking fast. I was confused and downtrodden, one day I went to the office to beg that they take me. I was even pleading when a woman walked in and saw me. She immediately took pity on me, called me, asked what the problem was and accepted to stand as a surety for me.
Akaba recalls that: “I was surprised because she didn’t know me, and those who even knew me were refusing. I wondered why she trusted me. You won’t believe that after that woman demonstrated that act of kindness, I never saw her again. All she told me before she left was don’t disappoint me, work hard and be focused. That alone sharpened my action towards others. I, on my part have rendered help at any giving opportunity. In a nut shell, kindness is one virtue everyone should have.”
Chris Emaobino, an administrator in his late-20s, says if everyone were kind the world would be a better place: “If you are kind to neighbours, friends, family, and even your enemies, then there would be peace. Look at what is happening in the North today; if kindness existed among us insurgency won’t exist because if they have love, then there would be kindness and not hate which leads to robbery, killing and other sins.”
Similarly, Omaro Orezi says kindness emanates from love, so if we have love then we would have kindness. “When you give alms, feed the hungry, visit the sick, the displaced and help people not minding religion, ethnicity or tribe, then you are kind,” Orezi stated. “Kindness is something that should come from the heart and expressed to everyone, this would create room for peace, harmony and unity.”
Concurring with Orezi, Bukky Isah, a self-employed lady in her mid- 30s notes that kindness cannot be over-stressed. “Our religious leaders should always emphasise the importance of kindness in their sermons. That way, everyone would know and see the need of being kind,” she stated. “Besides, the act of being kind should come from the heart and it is also a key tool in promoting peace, unity and stability in any country.”
For undergraduate Tilda John, who is in her late-teens, one of the greatest lessons she learnt from her mum is how to be kind to others. “My mum hasn’t ceased reminding my siblings and I the need to be kind to people because we never can tell when we might need their help someday,” she narrated.
“I have decided to make it a part of me and I also intend to teach my children when I get married, how to be kind because kindness is a virtue that is rarely seen in the world today, especially among the youth,” she added. “Everyone has this nonchalant attitude towards others that shows nobody cares about what the next person is passing through.”
Ada Edward says kindness is something that is best expressed from the heart. “There are times when you are pushed beyond limits or cheated in one way or the other on certain subject matters that you would become stiffened and won’t want to fall prey to the same circumstance, as rightly said, ‘once beaten twice shy,’” Edward noted. “I have had an experience, I am someone who is generous and would always give when I have, but my friends and other people wanted to take advantage of it, and you know the act of giving falls under kindness too. Their taking me for granted at some point hardened me, it took a while before I could change. But in all being kindness is very good.”