Cultivating Kindness: Being Our True Selves

How often have we, as individuals, become so immersed in an attitude or state of mind, that we become the way we think? If we feel badly about someone or something, we respond in an unkind and maybe even nasty way. The converse may also be true: if we feel good, we are more likely than not to respond kindly or in a civil, decent way. If these events come to pass, then we are like chameleons, or dusty mirrors, since our acts tend to be reactions to some one or something rather than meritorious acts in and of themselves.

So the question becomes, why not initiate acts of kindness, whether we believe someone else deserves them or not? Ultimately, does it not benefit ourselves if we behave the way we really are, rather than anticipatory, and act based upon how we believe someone will respond to us?

Frankly, I have a kind, good heart. That being said, when angry, or provoked, or if I feel others are not being honest with me, it is easy to turn and become someone who is not really me: an anticipatory reactor. It is as if I believe that being this way is a form of self-protection, but ultimately, am I not hurting myself more in the end by being a reactor rather than an actor?

For today, regardless of how I may think someone may react, I will act according to my own head and heart.

Thank you for your minds.