Inviting Kindness

Once upon a time, like an arrogant man in a small town, he may not be a rich man, but not so poor either. Just say he has some high chair within the town council, enough to keep him living in prosperity.

Despite his position in society, he barely has a few friends, only they who – unavoidably – need him will talk to him seriously. Well, he was known by all town folks for having a horrible manner, and arrogant.

Until one day, he can not keep up with his job on the town council since he can’t approach people in the right way. People tend to avoid him because of his attitude.

He suddenly fell stressed by his circumstance, and moreover, he felt lonely, very lonely. He wishes to become a more gentle person, but how, he never acts kindly to anybody before.

So he decides to learn how to become kind. But after spent months in the library for books and behavioral lectures, he still finds himself so arrogant. He is so confused before an old librarian told him that there was a very kind person – a friend of him – who lives on top of the hill not far from the town, perhaps that poor man can learn something from that man.

He dashed quickly to the top of the hill and found a small cottage on the golden meadow. An ancient man and a little girl are sitting under an old oak while eating pieces of bread and enjoying tea.

This man knew in an instant, that old man was the one he looked for. So, in order not to ruin his chance to become a good man, he approaches the old man and the little girl gently.

“Good afternoon Sir.” He spoke gentler than ever, but still, sound so rough. “A friend of yours told me that perhaps, you can lend me a help, Sir.”

A long silence between them and the old man seems only look at him shallowly without any sign of any intent, until he speaks again, “Sir…?”

Still no reaction more than that from the old man. And then the little girl speaks softly, “I am sorry, Sir, but my grandpa has been left for a long time, and his sight only barely captures some light.”

The man about to explode, perhaps he feels deceived by the librarian, that he comes for nothing, how can he gain or learn something from a deft and nearly blind old man?

But soon he ceased into stillness, seeing a kind smile of that small girl who again talks to him, “Please have a sit Sir, and have some tea, you must be tired from reaching this peak. After that, you may tell me what you are searching for, since I am familiar enough with this hill, perhaps I can give you a hand.”

After having some tea, they have a chat, and the topic becomes so broad. The man seems strangely savoring the conversation. He laughs loudly on some occasions and looks so serious in other moments.

Then, the girl asks him, “Sir, what are you coming here for?”

He replies, “I am coming to learn, about how to invite kindness into myself, into my life.” He answered very short, perhaps, he didn’t wish the little girl understand about adult life problem.

“So, do you know kindness?” The little girl asked again.

The man laughs, “Ha ha…, of course, I mean…, everybody knows kindness.” Well, he did learn about kindness in the library for months before. It just didn’t help him much.

“Then, why you seem to have a hard time to invite it, you know it, then all you need to do is asking it to come to your life, isn’t it?”

The man shocked hearing what that little girl said, well, he did know about kindness, but why he can just simply invite it into his life? Why he can’t find compassion in spite of knowing it well?

Then, did he really know what kindness is? He wonders if he never knows the real goodness at all but only what text explained and what people told about service. Yes, he knows everything ‘about’ kindness, but not the kindness itself.

Then he speaks softly, “You are right, perhaps I never know kindness at all. It is not what the script told, or what people said.” A silence comes between them for a moment, “Well, I guess, I can not invite kindness into my life since I don’t know it, we can’t invite something that we don’t know, can we?”

The girl smiles, shakes her head, “No, but I don’t think you need to invite anything, since you already kind enough, Sir.”

Kindness is not what book told you, or what people said to you. Kindness is your most genuine, innocent and honest feeling. It is not something you can find, nor gain, it is something that already there, you are.