Kindness – a balanced heart

Kindness. Our theme for July. A word that means good, and a word that stands for what is right. After a week of working on a feature film which questions ‘how far are you willing to go in order to protect the people you love?’ – the theme  kindness seems perfect.

The word kindness comes up every now and then in the conversations of today. It’s hot to be kind. But has the kindness movement really changed people’s actions? Are people really more kind today, or is it just a label we like to put on ourselves to feel good and to feed our egos? As I take a look in my own surroundings I can see a bunch of people preaching kindness, but acting out of fear (which sparks unkind behavior) most of the time.

It’s super easy to be kind when nothing is on stake, but as soon as we are drawn into a situation where our own ego or our family (as the film I was working on) is on the line – the opposite of kindness kicks in. When we feel threatened Kindness is kicked out of the door, and a fight for what’s “right” starts… You know, that’s how world wars start. The fear kicks out the kindness, and separation (instead of love) takes over.

But, who am I to judge? For the past weeks I’ve been more unkind than usual. It’s not like I’ve been a tyrant, but slightly off my game. It’s a direct result of letting go of my meditation routine. I’ve done the stupid mistake to stop meditating because I felt too stressed out about having too much to do at work. I’ve done the same mistake a hundred times before, and the result is always the same. A kindness breakdown.  I’ve gone into “attack-mode” more often than usual, and I’ve had a harder time seeing the bigger picture when in conflict. It’s like I get a shorter fuse when I don’t meditate. Reaction mode is on instead of the proactive mode.

So what does it boil down to? In order for me to live a life of kindness, I have to be a balanced soul, and lately I’ve been a little off balance. And that’s the lesson of this week. I’m heading back to my meditation space. It’s time to get back to the routines.

 

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