Language of love and kindness

“Love is the language that transcends words, communicating emotions and intentions effortlessly,” wrote Khalil Gibran in The Prophet. Recently, I was left to marvel at the wisdom of his words.

My 12-month-old grandson showed me what love and kindness is all about and how our worlds can become a better place when we are surrounded by love of that sort.

I am one of those grandparents who dote on their grandchildren. No need to say how grand I feel every time I hug them and cuddle them. My youngest grandson loves to come and find me on a game of hide and seek. He would crawl all over the house to find me. After a game of his choice and after I fed him some food of his choice, he was feeling sleepy. He had a lullaby of his choice too. So when I started singing him “Kanney en Kanmaniye”, he suddenly raised his sleepy head and planted a kiss on my cheek. Apart from my initial surprise, it is needless to say how fantastic I felt. Just a few months old, the munchkin of mine knows how to communicate his emotions! That was his way of thanking me. That was his way of telling me he loves me. That evening world seemed a better place for me.

This left me wondering how kind and loving are we as a society?

In a world torn on every side by wars and where children are brutally killed in war zones, kindness seems to have disappeared into thin air. Power games in the world leaves man with little space for love and kindness. Having lived in this world for more than six decades, I can vouch without batting an eyelid that my best memories were of kindness and love that I had encountered at different stages of my life. No tangible thing really played a role in making me happy at any point of time.

I am sure the same would be the case for many. How many of us still remember that kind teacher who made mathematics easy for us?

It was the kindness of that particular teacher to walk that extra mile with us that keep us remembering him or her even after decades. Don’t we all remember the kind school bus driver who took care to ensure that one of our parents was out at the house to pick us up or wait patiently till they came out? A little spark of kindness can put a colossal burst of sunshine into someone’s day. This was what exactly my little grandson did to me though unknowingly.

A smile on your face and a cheerful good morning can change the day for many of us. In this world of rat races and yardsticks always hanging over our heads, it is an act of kindness if we are not judgmental and start being gentle and respectful. It is not necessary to agree with the point of view of another person but still you can be kind and understanding.

Kindness helps both the giver and the receiver. In these times when a lot of talking is done about mental health and mental illness, kindness and love are the two powerful weapons with which we can ward off these maladies.

Kindness can help us a lot in our physical well being too. An act of kindness has the power to reduce stress hormones and increase “feel good” hormones. This in its turn boost our immune system.

Kindness and love are contagious too! Isn’t it high time we spread this wonderful remedy across the length and breadth of the whole universe?

We are forever making our children smarter and smarter. We tend to equip them with all skills under the sun which will make them smart enough to live a comfortable and luxurious life on earth. It is time we started goading our children with skills that would make them more happy and loved. Teach each child to smile from the heart every single day at their fellow humans. “Thank you “ and “sorry” are two words that can bring a lot of happiness into a family or even a community. These are the happiness skills every child should learn at a very young age. Catch them young to spread happiness not only to others but to themselves too. Teaching a child to be compassionate and kind to others is important. It is equally important to teach them to be kind to themselves. This is indeed a great happiness skill which would help them through out their lives. This would help them to face the failures that would come their way in the labyrinth of life. This art of kindness and love would help them breeze through life with a smile even when faced with the toughest situations.

Mark Twain famously wrote, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Let us strive to make it the universal language. Let that language alone be spoken in every household and by every human being.

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