The Ironies of Kindness

Sometimes, you just can’t help but do a good thing. A man in the small town of Prineville, Oregon was trying to pry a mouse from the jaws of stray cat he’d befriended, (an often occurrence for most cat owners), and contracted The Plague. Yes, that’s right: Black Death here in Oregon. It’s shocking. Apparently, there are three types of Plagues: one that affects the lymph nodes, (Bubonic), one that affects the lungs, (Pneumonic), and the third, (Septicemic), that affects the blood stream (Septicemic), which is the one this man contracted. Rodents sicken with The Plague due to the fleas that live on their bodies, and when house pets roam outside and seek their prey, we humans become susceptible.  Symptoms for humans include: fever, chills, bloody coughing, and a near-fatal response. The man is in critical condition. Scary! And all for trying to do something nice: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hitchhiker-writing-book-kindess-americans-shot-authorities-article-1.1096407

On the flip side, a West Virginia photographer who took to the road, hitchhiking his way across the country, on a project to write a book on Kindness, shot himself in the arm and then blamed it on someone else who was arrested for felony. What the hell? Ironically, he says he was looking for kindness in America. He created its opposite! http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hitchhiker-writing-book-kindess-americans-shot-authorities-article-1.1096407 Oh, the ironies of “kindness”! Sometimes what we say we’re looking for is a far cry from what we’re hoping or working to find. (e.g. We tell ourselves we want a kind boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, and yet, we're drawn to someone very different and not altogether good for us).


When I was a teen, I used to put quarters in people's parking meters that were about to run out. I did this until a police officer stopped me, threatened to give me a ticket, and told me it was illegal for me to help others this way. Ironic again? 

And, yet, there are so many examples of kindness in our everyday lives that we might overlook. Here in Portland, I’m always amazed by the number of drivers who let me into their lane when I’m turning or merging, the people who share a smile, or one lady who ran outside with a tube of toothpaste she was sure was mine (it wasn’t) that was left in the bag area of QFC. 

When you look at your life today, what can you see about the level of kindness that you’re putting out there? What about the kind of kindness you’re sharing? I’m talking about everyday kindnesses like holding a door for someone. You don’t have to pull out a Plague-infested rat or shoot yourself in the arm to experience or receive it! What authentic kindness are you offering today?  

Keywords: kindness, news, intention, purpose, health, motivation. 

Heather Schwartz, Psy.D.

http://www.heatherschwartzpsyd.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DrHeatherS