Personally, I think being good to others is one of the most respectable and honorable things a person can do. However, many think that kindness is a weakness. They believe those who are compassionate are ripe for destruction. Why must we always be ready to kill? Cannot those who wish to kill us be persuaded not to kill at all? Must we always be on guard?
2006-08-15 16:25:06 · 37 answers · asked by Justin 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Because sometimes the RIGHT thing is the hardest thing to do. It takes more strength and courage to do the right thing, and this lazy society tends to choose the easy way out rather than have to lift a finger in the name of compassion. THAT takes energy, you know.
2006-08-15 16:45:27 · answer #1 · answered by joyfulpaints 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Kindness can be the strongest thing a person can do ro show. With kindness comes compassion, unconditional love, acceptance of another person.. an understanding that one can't always put into words.
It might be easier to aim a gun at, and kill a compassionate person, than if the person also had a gun sighted on you.. but then again, killing the one that showed kindness, may stay with you forever. I don't know..
I wonder how this world would be if suddenly, everyone of those who have this kindness within them, would suddenly begin to use it.
2006-08-23 02:21:03 · answer #2 · answered by sassy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on what you're talking about. If you are talking about girlfriends not being interested in you because you're weak, then this can be for a number of real reasons other than that. There are girls in the world that are kind and they are the kind that would belong with your kind. However despite these connections between you and the girls, there may be other things about you that keep these connections from happening. The most common thing is looks. Now usually if the girl is really kind, her standards are the lowest on looks than any kind of girl. But she has too really be kind and not be faking it. And even with a girls standards being lowered to the lowest, you still might not be cute enough and because of that, they're not interested in you. If this is the case, then kindness won't be your thing. If this is the case, then you are in a exceptional case that you can't afford to be nice to girls unless you know she likes you alot to the point that shes all over you. At that point, if you want, then you can let your feelings come out peice by peice.
2006-08-15 16:53:25 · answer #3 · answered by Answers 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Kindness tempered with gentleness carries the myth of being weak because in the past, these traits were thought to be associated only with female or "fairer" sex, the so-called "weaker" sex.
Today - strong men are considered great leaders if they can be gentle, kind and merciful. Men who give in to the temptation of ruling with force are considered to be tyrants/dictators. Even if the results of the acts of both such men are the same...one is considered civil and the other uncivilised.
And women? The other myth is "if women ruled the world, there would be no more wars"...the one example we have of a female with true power busted that myth. She almost conquered the entire world from an Island Kingdom :)
2006-08-22 18:34:53 · answer #4 · answered by Spaced 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sadly, we MUST always be on guard. We must be vigilant in order to sense danger. However, this does NOT mean that we cannot be good, kind, compassionate,etc. You sound like a very contemplative, wise and kind soul. Don't discard these honorable attributes, because less intelligent souls cannot understand or appreciate them. What you perceive as scorn, on their part, is probably FEAR. If they could chose, objectively, they would want to be good / kind, They fear being seen as "weak." Their mistake. Be well.
2006-08-22 14:37:00 · answer #5 · answered by patterson589@sbcglobal.net 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Kindness is considered weak by those who have no capacity for kindness. Okay this a generalisation, but you get the idea.
Those who are compassionate are vulnerable to attack. But those who do not show compassion for fear of attack, aren't they the weak ones? Unfortunately, we must be ready to defend ourselves so we can continue to show kindness. How do you persuade someone not to kill. Hit 'em over the head? I think not. Lead by example, that way you will be able to live with yourself.
2006-08-21 18:35:52 · answer #6 · answered by Dr Know It All 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
These questions are not related.
1. Kindness is a socially accepted norm in most cultures and is nothing more than responding benevolently to any situation without too much personal commitment on our part. It's well recognized that being kind, especially to stangers, is a reward we get for being human. It makes us feel good about ourselves. Anyone lacking kindness is basically selfish but even the most self-centered of us can easily be kind.
2. Compassion is a different story. Compassion is a response to another's suffering, be it human or animal. Some people mistakenly believe that animals do not suffer, or that we can subject animals to suffering to justify the relief of human suffering.
Compassion also often comes with a view of justice, that is, recognizing that a wrong has been committed and that this wrong needs to be addressed, but that a punishment meted is probably severe and not in keeping with the tenet's of one's higher self; punishment not as revenge. Some people seem to think that retribution and revenge are not the same, but in fact they often are. And because the call for revenge is very high in humans, we have a correspondingly high tolerance for revenge.
But as the saying goes, to err is human, forgive, divine. Forgiveness is the call to a higher nature. Only someone who has needed forgiveness can understand what it is to forgive.
The call to justice is extremely important. And equally elusive in humans. There is a tendency to not want to look at injustice in the eye (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil), but rather to avert our eyes to wrongs committed, however slight. But as we avert our eyes to wrongs, we avert our eyes to justice. And if we cannot see the justice in a situation, we cannot act compassionately.
It takes real strength to look evil in the eye, whether it is in ourselves, or in someone else. No one is free.
And real strength to call for justice. and true enlightenment to call for compassion.
2006-08-23 11:22:37 · answer #7 · answered by wally 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Good question. I'm not sure except it seems that the aggressive, overly assertive, egocentric people are compelled to run roughshod over whoever and kind, compassionate people seem like patsies,
Short answer: human nature. The fittest, most brutal are still rewarded in the evolutionary process.
2006-08-23 06:19:42 · answer #8 · answered by ElOsoBravo 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As long as people think that you have ulterior motives for your kindness, it is a weakness. Another would be because it is tantamount to generosity so it is easily abused. But I still believe kindness is a strength. It is so powerful that it could fracture the reality called death. Jesus Christ is the proof of that, no matter how much he suffered from it.
2006-08-19 05:26:05 · answer #9 · answered by DJ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the USA, usually the right wing, and the liberal extremist nut-heads truly believe kindness is weakness. What really is disturbing is that the right wing people are religious and it is screwed up, yet they know not what kindness is because their mentality is everyone for himself (screw the weak, in other words). Even the president of the United States pretended to be religious. That's sick!!!!
2006-08-15 16:39:04 · answer #10 · answered by FILO 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋