How much of an effect can we really have?
I have always believed quiet strongly in the power of kindness but I must admit that recently I had become quiet disheartened about the level of effect this can really have and feeling despondent about the lack of response in my own efforts with others. I quickly then found myself being sucked in by negativity around me and the building up of it, no matter how I tried to change my focus this seemed to be taking over in all directions.
I found that when we feel powerless to change something this is when its hardest not to be taken over by the negativity, especially when its something that really matters to us. The war happening between Israel and Gaza at the moment is a perfect example. The sadness associated with it is something many of us are feeling right now and the question is, can we really do anything to help..?
In a world where we have many quick responses, it is something I think we have become accustomed to look for, yet the small actions we take can sometimes take years to have a full effect. Many of us want to help now and to make a big difference but I have realised that whatever little we can do and whatever ripples we can make is better than no ripple at all.
I have learnt through being on the receiving end of deep kindness, that the power it can have to completely change an outlook is one that can take someone that is ready to give up to someone that will do whatever it takes to continue.
It can be easy to get caught up in our own world and think we cant make a difference, but we do. That one smile, or one kind word or one pound donation can make the world of difference and I have rekindled my belief that the power of kindness is not limited at all, nor by any distance.
By knowing this and taking small actions to make a difference in anyway we can, each act create ripples that could continue way beyond us and even if we do not know about it we can be sure that a difference is made.
We only have to remember how those who have showed real kindness to ourselves and those we know have made a difference to us. It is not always about what we see, it’s sometimes the effect we do not see.
It also becomes not just about the effect but about the cause that re-awakens within us. Kindness in itself seems to act like a shield creating more joy for ourselves and those around us, the more kind acts we make the more effect we have, even when we do not see it.
I for one intend to use this shield of kindness far more and im eternally grateful to those who have shown great kindness to me when I needed it most. We all need kindness and to never forget to always be kind to yourself too.
Never forget this power you have within you
It costs nothing, yet creates something
Something so Powerful, So Transformative, Something far more than the eyes can see
This power that exists within you
Will transform the world, one at a time
This power that is within you is so limitless,
Limitless to all those you reach every time
Believe you make a difference, That you really do,
Each little kind gesture,
Means all the world to those you reach out to
Journeys in Writing 