Here I am writing again. Still listening to the same music I have been for the past year; the music that has kept me going in probably the toughest time I (hopefully) will ever have to face. It’s funny, but the movies and the people I discovered during that time are the ones I can’t get rid of; the ones I don’t want to get rid of. Even though the art forms themselves are extraordinary, weather that be music, film or otherwise, it’s the people themselves that have change my view point and made me a happier person then I could ever hope to be. Last summer I was in the hospital for two weeks and in remission for all of it. I even had to cancel this really hard to get into acting, directing, film/playwriting course at UCLA that would have awarded me 4 college credits. Despite all of that I was still poking jokes with the doctors, who were amazed that I was not depressed as I had not been in school for 6 months, and kept on trying to make the best of the situation. The reason? They had given me hope, their music, their art, their films, their stories; them. As banal or childish as it may seem, the only thing that enabled me to feel like it was all going to be ok was a concert.
The thing is, I’m not the only who has had to hold to something so banal. During really stressful times, my friends and I watch “The Art Of Painting” by Bob Ross (please bear with me.) Now, we’re not painters and I don’t even particularly like what he paints but, I’ve found that since I’ve started watching the show, I’ve replaced my usual “Sorry I’m dumb,” or “Sorry I’ve messed this up,” with (even if at first it started as a joke,) “there are no mistakes, just happy little accidents,” and “I guess I’m a little weird.[…] That’s okay though; I have most fun than most people.” Accepting that things happen for a reason, and that mistakes aren’t setbacks, just things you can use to further your talents.
Kindness like that of Bob Ross, is a learned behavior according to researcher Sean Achor. Through his extensive research, if you perform random acts of kindness for twenty one days, you actually retain your brain to be more positive. Some may argue that kindness is a waste of time in a world like today, that what we need is action not feelings. In studies conducted by Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Neuroscience Lab, it was observed how witnessing kindness inspires kindness, thus resulting in its spreading like a plague. By emphasizing empathy as a standard in society, we may be able to “leverage the power of of social influence” to combat apathy and conflict in new ways.
Despite the facts stated above, some people still say that promoting kindness, whether that be towards yourself or others, is making people more narcissistic and soft. They think that if you treat people with kindness, they won’t know how to handle the real world. That’s not only a huge issue, but a tremendous red flag that a belligerent society is considered the norm. No wonder that last year, suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54. And that generalized mental illness represents 18.3% of all U.S. adults (Center for Disease Control). You may be wondering, how can kindness possibly be linked to mental health- or even health in general? Through the late 1990s, Dr. Masaru Emoto performed a series of experiments pertaining to the organic effects or words, prayers, music and environment on the crystalline structure of water. When kind and loving words were conveyed to the water, they formed a complete crystal structures compared to the energies of hate and anger. In juxtaposition to the fact that we are made up of 70% water, there’s no wonder why he believed kindness was inevitably link to health. This idea is further proved by the fact that kindness has been linked to an increased sense of happiness which, in turn, has been shown to lead towards a healthy heart. As well as slowing down the aging process and improving relationships around you. (Fahkry)
If you read no further than this point, you should know that kindness affects the user and the experiencer — leaving a lasting impression on both. In this fast pace world, kindness and compassion takes a back seat to selfies, self-interest and expendable human interactions.
Every person is waiting to be discovered or become rich, believing it holds the key to their happiness. Yet when they attain success, they long for their former life having underestimated the trappings of fame and celebrity. I enjoy the quote by Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, David W. Orr: “The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.” Kindness is fundamental to the human existence. We are thrust into the world as newborns and enriched with the kindness of our parents’ nurturing for the ensuing years.