Guarding Our Kindness

About 200 years ago George Sand wrote,

Guard well that treasure within yourself, kindness.

I like that. For most of us it takes awareness to be kind. It’s so easy when we get stressed to take our feelings out on other people… one of the best reasons to learn to deal with our feelings is to keep that from happening. A site kindness.org has a quiz that they say measures our kindness quotient. It asks questions like how likely are you to

I think for people who are dealing with their lives as best they can those questions would add to the pressures they are feeling. Just learning to be more compassionate and loving to themselves and the people they interact with would be a better place to start. That’s what I think of when I read Sand’s quote. What do you think?

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32 Responses to Guarding Our Kindness

  1. MadSnapper says:

    what I think of these questions above is balderdash! poppycock! truly the only one I would do is the first, none of the others and I can’t see how this would show my kindness quotient. about my kindness is I am better at being kind to strangers and others than to my hubby. I need to practice being kind to him.

  2. Ann Thompson says:

    Honestly I live in a neighborhood where everyone pretty much keeps to themselves. Years ago, I knew all the neighbors but most have moved away and now I’m lucky if any of them even wave when they’re outside.
    As for those questions I think most of those are a little overboard. It’s one thing to thank a neighbor for something but adopt their child? Confront a gunman? Even paying for their groceries. I did however take meals to my next door neighbor for a week after he had a stroke. His daughter had asked if someone from where I work could do it and I was happy to help

    • Jean says:

      I agree, those questions don’t apply to me either. We don’t know our neighbors either, and it’s not that we’re unfriendly. And I would feel sorry for any child that was adopted by 85- and 90-year-olds.

  3. It would be easier to move to another neighbourhood! (Joke).

    God bless, CM. I agree we should be kind to one another.

  4. tomthebackroadstraveller says:

    …kindness needs a new renaissance!

  5. Myra Guca says:

    Certainly, more realistic.
    When I put myself in that quiz’s imaginary role, I feel a bit ashamed — or laugh uncontrollably.

    • Jean says:

      That’s my big objection to the quiz, somehow they seem to be setting standards that a lot of people can’t meet. Who are they to do that?

  6. I always try to be kind but some of those things I wouldn’t do.

  7. To be kind often means to be polite. Decorum has left the building.

  8. Christine says:

    There are different levels of kindness looking at your quiz. I am unsure on some of those although I think I am generally kind and compassionate.

  9. Shug says:

    I can see the need for me to work on a couple of these things. I think for the most part, my answers are pretty well, likely, and most likely. I have known my neighbors (all except one) for a very long time. Some keep to themselves and then I have a couple that I talk to almost everyday. Kindness is so needed in the world today. Thank you for the post

  10. Depends on if that neighbor is a casual acquaintance or a real friend. And stranger kindness is a different thing, too. These days most neighbors are more casual acquaintances or strangers really–but anyone deserves common courtesy and moral defense. I see a lot of those questions depend on you not being the poor neighbor who lives hand to mouth. Seems a strange questionnaire to me.

  11. Linda Sand says:

    Those questions felt very judgmental to me. I think of my self as kind but there are some of those I wouldn’t do. I do however do and say the little things all the time. And I helped a neighbor I had never met when she fell outside my door, staying with her even after the ambulance people left until she felt safe on her own again.

  12. Ginny Hartzler says:

    I agree with your analysis! Some of these questions there is no way of knowing what you would do until it actually happens, like the gunman one. I think a good place to start is to remember to be non judgmental and think how we would want to be treated, if we do not agree, keep out opinion to ourselves and just nod. Do not be provacative!

  13. We are not close with any of our neighbors. I would certainly do things like that for a friend.

  14. I’ve never had neighbors that I’ve felt THAT close with that but I still consider myself to be a kind person. Kindness comes in varying degrees I think and some of the things listed in the quiz have nothing to do with being kind…in my opinion.

  15. Rose says:

    I about burst out laughing at your comment about a child being adopted by an 85 and 90 yr. old…well, we are 69 and 72 and I would feel sorry for one adopted by us, too. Most of these do not apply to me/us either.

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