As much as we need kindness to thrive, it is so sad to note that Kindness can sometimes be hindered by some factors since the world is full of different people from different races and backgrounds.
For some reason, many people have withheld from showing kindness to others for this reason;
Some were raised without empathy, I believe the way a person was raised from childhood has a huge bearing on such a person, one who is raised in a home filled with love and empathy will likely be a loving and empathetic person and vice versa.
There are so many parts of the world that limit kindness to a certain gender and that's sad, prejudice and stereotypes have become the order of the day. Some people limit kindness to people of the same race and background.
People who have experienced rejection in the past find it hard to share kindness with others, and people who lack emotional intelligence too find it much of a struggle to spread kindness.
In a me-first world, self-centeredness has been a barrier for many to spread kindness, people are often too busy with their daily lives and they believe it costs a lot to show kindness, everyone is in a rush, and nobody wants to wait for others, in a queue everyone wants to be the first to be attended to not considering the health status or condition of the person who needs to be shown kindness. People value self-centeredness over altruism, and sadly some believe people who are kind are weaklings.
Society has also created a standard of what level of kindness is accepted, in turn, makes people feel they are doing too much when they begin to show or spread kindness.
Transfer of aggression is also common in my country, I've experienced it severally where I asked politely for something and got a very harsh response only to find out that, it was a transfer of aggression, this is also a barrier for spreading kindness and how can I forget how much effect culture and language has a barrier for spreading kindness.
People are prone to show kindness to a person who comes from their culture and speaks the same language over a random person. There is a break in communication which makes it hard to embrace the culture or diversity of the other person.
But should kindness be biased? Is there a way out?
Kindness should never be biased and I believe everyone should practice kindness in the little way they can. There is a way out to conquer the barrier holding people from spreading kindness.
Preaching love is the first step to conquering any barrier to kindness.
When people learn to love themselves are likely going to learn to love others regardless of the tribe, colour or background they come from, this will eradicate the mindset of prejudice and foster empathy.
This could be achieved through self-awareness, formal or informal education, and advocacy through philanthropy.
If it were within my power, I would incorporate kindness into the school's curriculum to teach children the value of attention cause when one learns from a tender age, it becomes a habit.
Social media plays a huge role here as many people just sit behind their devices to stir up hate and resentment over an organisation, specific race, nation, government, gender and the like. If we all can see ourselves as brothers and sisters this will go a long way to foster the spirit of kindness.
I believe the change begins with us so good leadership is important, firstly we need to learn to spread kindness even on social platforms and avoid bantering and cyberbullying.
Forgiveness.
Forgiveness has a role to play in fostering empathy and kindness, people place more regard on their ego than mending relationships, and people prefer to be resentful than seeking reconciliation.
If we all see ourselves as imperfect, and prone to erring, it will make it easier for us to forgive others, no one on earth is without sin, so why hold on to a grudge that's not even healthy for you and for the society at large? Resentment yields to hatred and enmity, but forgiving yields peace and kindness.
Embrace Change and Diversity.
Life is full of varieties, that's the beauty of life, one needs to embrace other people's opinions respectfully without making a fuss, and accept other people's culture, there's no race that's superior to others, we are all humans and we all need one another to thrive regardless of our cultural background. I would also encourage intermarriage as a way of curbing prejudice and stereotypes.
Practice Act of Service.
Volunteering willingly to serve others is a great way to foster empathy in the community, and lend a helping hand where you can.
Join Community Initiative Fostering Kindness.
Visit orphans, and widows, share your meal with the less privileged, and create a very compassionate environment so that everyone can thrive.
All thanks to @grescloud for collaborating with the Dreemport community, this challenge has impacted my life more than I imagined, every day I walk about with intentional ways to show kindness.
My Kindness Journal For Week 3.
I visited the bank on Monday to update my bank details, and while one the queue I saw a very old woman who was far behind and it almost looked like her legs were shaking, I was the next person to be attended to but I asked her to take my position while I took hers.
Although I had other places to be, I chose altruism over self-centeredness, and it felt really good. As soon as she was attended to, she came to where I was and placed her hands on my shoulder, even though I couldn't understand what she said because she spoke a language different from mine, I was assured it wasn't something to harm me as her gestures said it all, maybe it was a prayer, but all I knew was, she was way happy to receive help from me.
Lastly, for this week, I chose to be gracious on the internet, for every beautiful picture I came across I left something positive for the owner to read and where I came across a cyberbully, I ensured I was among the few who left positive words of affirmation just because kindness makes the world go round.
All images used are mine.