THE FACE OF KINDNESS
Be at peace with everyone in life, even enemies and annoying relatives. Be kindness itself. Seen from the highest perspective, there is no reason to treat anyone with anything other than kindness. This harkens back to the concept of Divine Neutrality. When you are neutral to everyone you meet in life, there are no labels attached to that person. If you are neutral, you cannot be busy putting people you meet into neat little categories for future reference. What can it profit that person or yourself to treat them other than with an initial feeling of neutrality, a blank slate upon which that person can show you their true character.
Now do not make the mistake that you should treat a person who proves to be dangerous with no regard for your own life. This is not neutrality. God has given you life and you should at least respect that god has put you here for a reason and not squander away that life with stupid actions on your part. Such a thing would be a slap in the face of the Source that has put you here in the first place. Contrary to popular belief, there is no spiritual law that dictates that we should literally sacrifice our lives for anyone else on any given day. Such is the romantic nonsense of misguided religious understanding of deep spiritual truths.
Remember that we are dealing with a mode of initial neutrality here. Common sense dictates that we should be wary of those who show themselves to be dangerous and not to forget your basic intelligence by giving them any chance to slip into their own destructive behavior. If you approach someone with neutrality and they then proceed to demonstrate their own dangerous tendencies, then since you have the intelligence to recognize their faults, it is necessary and noble on your part to make sure that your own actions give them no avenue to further indulge in their negative behavior. Is it not wrong to allow that person to harm you, thereby creating negative karma for themselves? What good have you done for either one of you? Think about it.
In life, everyone you meet is trying to find their own happiness. Do you think that you can help that person by instantly applying a label to them as soon as you meet? This is the ego doing your thinking for you. When you approach new people and even new situations with neutrality, then it opens up endless possibilities to you since you are not busy putting mental restrictions to what is in front of you.
Being kind is an action whose vibration spreads outward, even to others nearby. Remember, energy is contagious. It has been demonstrated that everyone who receives an act of kindness gets a dose of serotonin (a naturally occurring “feel good” chemical) and anyone who provides the kindness also gets the same dose as well. And the third party observer of the act also gets a dose as well.
When you judge, it turns you into someone who has to judge and put labels on people. When you label someone, it negates them. Stop labeling everyone and everything upon initial meeting.
You might be surprised at what results from such a mental attitude.
