A kid deserves a job that will have a major impact on his life, and you need to call in your one favor to get him in and fight for him with your reputation on the line.
Deserves. Heh.
I think it would be foolish to grant some kid the power to destroy my reputation.
I'll ask you this Legga. Imagine you did him a solid, then he fucks up and, YOU.... end up falling down with him. Like an ass. A jackass.
For such reasons I dislike it when people do good deeds for their own camera, while I appreciate kindness captured on surveillance and dash cam, where the deeds are certainly genuine.
Unless it's CCTV or police bodycam footage anyway.
When it comes to success, even a bum knows they cannot beg without being kind.
...........
You'd be surprised the strategies they try, not all of them are well mentally.
This demonstrates the privileges of your life lived.Kindness without wisdom is lackluster. If you want to support a homeless person, it's better to feed them or give them useful items, otherwise you'll be supporting the very addiction that has them on the street.
Yeah but then they'll call you a piece of shit for giving them a sandwich instead of crack cocaine or alcohol.
Also...
There's nothing really wrong with being self serving.
^^^ Not A True Christian. ^^^
Not all Christians are saints. For example you see Donald Trump saying "I HATE my enemies" etc in Charlie Kirk's funeral.
Now I do agree that Spatial probably isnt a Christian, but I guess don't expect Christians to be saints in general.
A kid deserves a job that will have a major impact on his life, and you need to call in your one favor to get him in and fight for him with your reputation on the line.
Deserves. Heh.
I think it would be foolish to grant some kid the power to destroy my reputation.
I'll ask you this Legga. Imagine you did him a solid, then he fucks up and, YOU.... end up falling down with him. Like an ass. A jackass.
You behaviour here often gave me the impression that you revel in telling people about how good and smart you are, when I wrote my post I thought of you as the opposite of what I talked about in my OP except for the part where I point out the egocentric desire to flaunt your kindness.. I see you do it all the time on this forum and you express otherwise quite hateful and judgmental behaviour, so not kind at all.
The thing is I am sure you are not a bad person, you are kind but you seem like an unhappy person who compares himself to others and probably has insecurities which is why you act above everyone else
Golden Rule, 'do unto others', be the change you want to see in the world - many ways of saying/looking at the same stance. If someone asks for help and I'm able without causing myself issue, I feel compelled to do what I can. Within reason.
I feel like this is where most people diverge. What's within reason? Isn't true kindness, rather selflessness, LOVE in a fundamental way defined by giving at your own cost or peril? The question is how much you are willing to give. A Buddhist monk gives everything, your average Joe donates 5 euro a month to charity - How much is within reason?
When kindness is seen as weakness it screws everything. There are so many 'good' people who got burned too many times leading them to become jaded and bitter, refusing to lend even the most basic hand to someone in dire need.
True and part of me wonders whether their kindness was truly kind to begin with.
I am not judging people for being flawed, but we are exploring true selflessness here
Free market capitalism has instilled this idea that if something doesn't profit you it's not worth the time and effort. This has led the sense of community, in it's truest form, to deteriorate leading to incredible isolation even in large cities. The resulting alienation fuels ever increasing numbers of mental illness and unprovoked violence.
It benefits everyone if we make an effort to engage others with kindness,
Indeed, it's the same old story.. There is something to be said for the power of rebound - People tend to relish in contrast and it feels good to rebel against a hollow society through kindness, sometimes even more so than in a society which is already kind. Perhaps some deeper part of us is actively guiding us toward these conflicting tendencies
unless there's good reason not to, of course.
Interesting how often you feel the need to make this caveat. You're setting some strong boundaries :D
Its important. Kind people who propagate kindness tend to succeed in toxic environments, because it signals abundance mindset. Those who become toxic are beneath their environment, whereas those who are kind are above their environment.
I see your point, kindness is magnetic - Socially you radiate an okayness with even the most toxic people and this is perceived as invincibility of sorts.
There is however a distinction in that it doesn't quite work for those who are in a kind environment and just blend in. Its always easy to preach about kindness and equality until it comes at your own expense and reality settles in. Most people crack, few dont.
nice, this drives into integrity - who are you when nobody is looking?
Its not that youre currying favors. When you crack, you diminish yourself, and that's the real expense of not being kind. Kindness is a test of character.
it is a test and a continuous one as well, since inconsistency throws you off. however consistently being kind will make compassion and kindness all the more attainable and universal
For such reasons I dislike it when people do good deeds for their own camera, while I appreciate kindness captured on surveillance and dash cam, where the deeds are certainly genuine. Sometimes a cameraman will catch something nice.
When it comes to success, even a bum knows they cannot beg without being kind.
Begging is begging dude, people do it in all sorts of creative or desperate ways.
Kindness without wisdom is lackluster. If you want to support a homeless person, it's better to feed them or give them useful items, otherwise you'll be supporting the very addiction that has them on the street.
I notice you seem to put some requirements on this most basic (and seemingly selfless) example of kindness; feeding a homeless person. You also probably misunderstand addiction and what causes homelessness and how these two interact but that's a different topic..
Also...
There's nothing really wrong with being self serving. Look after oneself first, then looking after others becomes very affordable.
Yeah agreed in a broad sense, sure you can only help others insofar as you are ok yourself but this is a one dimensional perspective to a multidimensional thing. For example if being kind is being supportive, vs feeding a person, you may have food to give but because you feel like shit you won't, due to not making that distinction. If you catch what I'm trying to say?
The Mr. Beast videos where he healed hundreds of blind people, and that time he dug up a bunch of wells in multiple poor villages all over Africa. He got a lot of backlash for that despite the outcomes were all miraculous. He also was able to grow his insane amount of subscribers. I see it as brilliant, and a "win win" from every end of the spectrum, even though he has multiple employees that say in real life he's like Lex Luthor.
He's commodifying kindness into a utilitarian or even transactional sense which is NOT what my post is about, my post is about kindness from integrity
Matthew 6:1-4 said:“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
A kid deserves a job that will have a major impact on his life, and you need to call in your one favor to get him in and fight for him with your reputation on the line.
Deserves. Heh.
I think it would be foolish to grant some kid the power to destroy my reputation.
I'll ask you this Legga. Imagine you did him a solid, then he fucks up and, YOU.... end up falling down with him. Like an ass. A jackass.
In other words you'd never be kind if it came at your own risk. Got it.
It would be foolish to save a kid from a fire too. But that's what heroes do, while you sit your ass down looking out for number one. Because you dont want to grant the burning kid power over your life, so you let them burn.
Those who are kind succeed in the long term because people see they're not spineless.
Yes.
There is however a distinction in that it doesn't quite work for those who are in a kind environment and just blend in. Its always easy to preach about kindness and equality until it comes at your own expense and reality settles in. Most people crack, few dont.
nice, this drives into integrity - who are you when nobody is looking?
Yes its integrity. It's also about strength of character.
Its not that youre currying favors. When you crack, you diminish yourself, and that's the real expense of not being kind. Kindness is a test of character.
it is a test and a continuous one as well, since inconsistency throws you off. however consistently being kind will make compassion and kindness all the more attainable and universal
Theres consistency. There's also the will to be kind.
I think if you believe in something you act it out, irrespective of how often you do it. Consistency certainly helps in making it a habit, but its also about what you believe. I think a deeply held belief can override our natural tendencies.
Yes.
There is however a distinction in that it doesn't quite work for those who are in a kind environment and just blend in. Its always easy to preach about kindness and equality until it comes at your own expense and reality settles in. Most people crack, few dont.
nice, this drives into integrity - who are you when nobody is looking?
Yes its integrity. It's also about strength of character.
Its not that youre currying favors. When you crack, you diminish yourself, and that's the real expense of not being kind. Kindness is a test of character.
it is a test and a continuous one as well, since inconsistency throws you off. however consistently being kind will make compassion and kindness all the more attainable and universal
Theres consistency. There's also the will to be kind.
I think if you believe in something you act it out, irrespective of how often you do it. Consistency certainly helps in making it a habit, but its also about what you believe. I think a deeply held belief can override our natural tendencies.
This is assuming you simply will to be kind. I noted in my OP the contradictive forces internally that can spoil kindness - in this sense I found it interesting a practical ability to “will to will” yourself into kindness, maybe to override that egocentric part which sees kindness as a means to an end. These things tend to cohabitate in our mind. As such consistency is the tool to train kindness as a muscle, like many traits in life can be learned and adapted. Life is truly a canvas and we can paint it
