On Kindness
kindness noun kind·ness \ ˈkīn(d)-nəs \ What is kindness? How do we know it when we see it? And why is it important? The most obvious answer is that kindness is general "niceness" and "courteousness". When someone gives their seat up on the bus to someone who obviously has difficulty standing, we recognize this as a kind act. When a person chooses to remain silent rather than correct another person and embarrass them publicly, we might say that the person is being kind. But there is a deeper meaning to this rather common phrase. Poet Naomi Shihab Nye has written a beautiful poem which might be considered an essential primer on kindness: Kindness Before you know what kindness really is you must l
