Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Cool and Kind

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

I am often times reminded how important kindness is in dealings and interactions with others. This reminder comes from pedestrians themselves. Kindness is a saintly trait. Some people will dismiss encouraging remarks or helping gestures and just common courtesy. Even so, common courtesy is a mark of goodness.

While walking some residential streets in Toronto the former evening after hours of indoor service I was highly impressed with kind remarks of snow shovelers as I walked by. Here in Saskatoon city and in the province of the land of the living skies fellow pedestrians were so friendly despite low temperatures outside.

Without introduction an elderly man saw me and remarked, “It’s easier going the other direction (referring to the strong head wind I was battling)”. He didn’t have to say anything at all which is the approach or modus operandi of a lot of big city folk.

I had asked at a Husky gas station how to get to the downtown? A customer at the store who overheard the conversation immediately responded, “I can drive you there.” That remark plus frequent smiles and greetings are more prevalent in small places like this one (after all, whoever heard of Saskatoon?)

After being in the business so to speak, of spirituality for three and a half decades and having witnessed behaviour of a large spectrum of people I have concluded this; those who smile and are cordial and go out of their way to be helpful are usually very productive and liked by all. If I can be so bold as to say - they are close to God in nature.

Someone may argue, “You are speaking mode of goodness terms. Indifference and transcendence are superior.” I have heard that type of attitude and I beg to differ.

Our Guru Srila Prabhupada demonstrated these acts of so called mundane goodness, such as smiling and politeness all of the time, to the exception of gravity and sternness when needed to be applied. And so I stand on affirmed affirmation that kindness kills and that it is cool to be that way. You might check your own environment and ask if there is any killer-kind place or is just tolerable. If tolerable why not change the environment and become a killer kind artist.

7 Km