Kindness is strength.

October 2, 2017 Cognitive Insights No Comments

One leads to the other – in both directions – kindness leading to strength and strength leading to kindness.

Real kindness automatically leads to strength.

To many however, kindness is seen as a weakness. Indeed, a person can show kindness out of fear of being treated himself in a non-kind way, or out of fear to be seen himself as a non-kind person. Such fear is a weakness – but in these cases, the kindness is not real. This so-called kindness doesn’t run deep.

Real kindness always comes from deep inside. A kind person is kind because in that moment… he just is definitely – deeply kind. The work of really being kind lies in becoming so. You can work on it. It’s a personal responsibility. It’s also a social responsibility: to give to people the means to do this inner work.

An example is how you personally manage your health and healing – namely by not automatically looking at disease as the enemy.

In psychosomatics, your symptoms are intrinsic to you. Gently listening to and respecting your symptoms, then growing beyond them, you also become a kinder person – and through that also a stronger person. Inner strength is acquired through gently managing your health.

So real kindness leads to strength – and – real strength automatically leads to kindness. To many, unfortunately, strength still equals hardness – the reverse of kindness. For instance, many so-called leaders still think leadership equals bossiness.

Real strength is not hardness. Quite the reverse.

A really strong person does not need hardness to assert or maintain himself, nor to influence others in some chosen direction. For instance, true leadership has no need for bossiness.

Inner strength is also the strength to see the broader and deeper picture – and to not need psychologically defensive walls. In other words, it is the ability to be deeply touched while not substantially losing one’s equilibrium. It is the strength to combine stress resistance with being – kind. Real inner strength can open you – to yourself and to others as you and as they really are. This openness lets you see that people are generally good if they are treated nice – and kind. Thereby, people also become kinder. Inner strength breeds kindness – as kindness breeds strength.