Loving kindness in Reflection’s

Years ago, interested curious about Buddhism I read about loving kindness. As a way of life and being. At first, I thought it was a bit airheaded because I had once been a spiritual seeker like so many. Eventually, I became an atheist, but I still believed in the concept of loving kindness.

A few years ago, I was suicidal and my love for my pets kept me alive. They needed my love, kindness and care to continue. That gave me meaning in life. I recall how my mother was dying of cancer and what gave her meaning was still trying to care for others as she was dying. At her funeral, I angered my father and confused other people by saying mother was a bodhisattva which is a spirit that is a being of love and a teacher of love as I understand it. She was a loving kind person, even as she was dying.

These days when I ask about meaning in life for myself, I try to humble myself and keep it simple by telling myself to simply “be kind“. There are so many monsters so many cruel people in this world that have a meaning of cruelty stupidity and insanity. What better meaning for any of us to have then is the opposite to be people of loving kindness, and add good to the lives of others and nurture that within ourselves.

I have no great skills no wealth. I was a simple factory worker much of my life. I had once aspired to be some great writer. I had some skill, but I wondered about it What is there I could offer? It seemed like such an egotistical dream. It still does. What I came to realize is that simply being kind has so much more meaning than starting wars and sending thousands to their deaths. That is an extreme, of course. But if any of us feel, we have no meaning no reason to be here to exist to continue breathing. Remember what it is like to do some small favor for someone. To alleviate suffering in someone or some thing in some small way. To make someone laugh without it being a cruel joke anything hurtful or sarcastic. To connect with a stranger with a smile. How many great political leaders have that power? I’ve realized when I go into the grocery store and share a few words with people share a smile and maybe even a belly laugh I have far more meaning than so many people with great wealth or power. With loving kindness, we can lift people up and that is such a great power instead of putting them down and hurting them.

If you ever feel your lost and have no meaning or reason to be, remember sharing a joke or a smile with someone. Committing some active unconditional kindness to another person. Those loving kind moments create ripples that lift others. Just as a bomb creates a blast wave of destruction simple acts of unconditional, kindness, and love do the opposite. Your smile can touch another, make them smile and the ripples of their smiles will touch others. They may not remember why or how but it just happens. It continues.

If you feel you have no meaning, no reason for being here, no purpose remember your superpower of loving kindness how just a moment of it from you and I can affect so many lives. Such a simple thing can give us all such beautiful purpose in our being here.