A few weeks back, I visited Blossoms bookstore and spent the afternoon in front of the Philosophy/Spirituality aisle. I had such a wonderful time there and returned home with a bunch of books that were on my reading list.
I love the writing style of Om Swami. Having read a few of his books earlier, I admire his uncanny ability to succinctly convey beautiful messages relevant to Life.
"The book of Kindness" is yet another simple and easy-to-read book that talks about kindness and how it is a skill to be practiced and mastered.
The Universe seems to reiterate this point to me through multiple sources - that our feelings are way more important than our thoughts. Came across multiple insights in this book that connected with this point:
"The brain only processes what the heart is feeling. And our heart can feel a million things in just one day. We just need to connect with it, so it feels the one thing that matters most."
"Reason is the killer of empathy. When someone's down and lost, you can't use reason to pull them back. You can use some logical argument to console them a bit, but matters of the heart are best handled by the heart alone."
The chapter "Charity begins at home" clarifies why being kind at home is a prerequisite before we start being kind to others outside of our homes.
"It is not possible to start living for others unless we learn to live with others."
Many times, we hold back on compassion, wondering if the receiver is worth it. The author brilliantly solves this dilemma in the next chapter:
"Show your compassion to the one who wants it.....Exercising compassion is neither based on merit, nor based on the need of the other person, but based on their readiness.....Readiness is not the same as worthiness."
The first step in kindness is to acknowledge and be grateful to those who are kind to you. As we start expressing kindness, something magical happens - "whatever we share, grows."
Many anecdotes in this book left behind a lasting impact. One such real-life example was in the chapter "The Best you can" with this impactful message:
"When you give the best you have to someone in need, it translates into something much deeper to the receiver. It means that they are worthy."
An easy, powerful read. Do pick up this book if you are looking for answers on the topic of Kindness.