tales of Suchita

My household has always been one where birthdays and celebrations have been bookended by donations – either to old age homes or orphanages. I still remember the yearly letter we used to get from Help Age India and how dad’s contribution had been used to help someone’s livelihood.

Over the years that habit of giving got lost in the mundane. But the need to be a kind person, to ensure that I’m never unkind to anyone I encounter has steadily grown. So much so that I started to question whether or not I could even be kind. Maybe there was something wrong with me for how difficult it sometimes seemed, especially since people around me found it so easy to just BE kind.

Then I came across the concept of #TheKindnessGene, which means kindness is in my DNA since my parents are kind. It was quite a relief to know it wasn’t that I wasn’t kind, it’s in my genes after all. I just needed to find my way of going about this kindness business.

My way forward has been inspired by the 3 lessons I have learnt from my parents around kindness:

Kindness is not just about money

Of course, donations are needed but there are other ways you can be kind too: through your words, effort, sharing your skill or just lending an ear to hear someone’s story. All of these are ways to be kind. Like how dad taught all his subordinates in office how to use a computer when he first got one. Like how mom loves to ask our house help or taxi drivers about their life stories. Like Shreya making tea for the workers at home.

Respect people’s time

A lesson that has always been ingrained in me: don’t be late. Always arrive five minutes early. Don’t keep people waiting. I have heard too many stories from my house helps waiting outside their madam’s door because she said she will return in five minutes but hadn’t even after forty-five minutes to not take this step seriously.

Live by a code of ethics

Follow your own path, define your own rules, find a code of ethics that speak to you. Dad was in the public sector and he was conscious of always living up to the standards he had set for himself, and not what his peers were following. Mom was a teacher and she taught her students to be true to their own self.

And here’s something from Gary Vee on kindness, my favourite modern-day philosopher.

You never know what opportunities you’d get behind your back by being a good person. You’d never know what kind of opportunities you’d lose by being a bad person.

What are your thoughts on the subject of kindness?

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This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop.

Header image: Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán