While relaying a moment our 9 year old daughter had with another adult, she spoke of a young boy who stood in front of a supermarket selling candy bars for a dollar apiece, holding a handmade cardboard sign. He wore tattered clothes and shoes and appeared quite poor. When she asked the adult if she could have a dollar to give to the boy, she was told "no, because people lie" and it was most likely a scam. She told me that she wished she had a dollar of her own to give the boy because "even if he was lying, just because people might not 'deserve' our love, we should still give to them, and love them anyways".
Such Wise words. When we speak of Giving or Kindness or Love, what are we talking about, do you think? In my best estimation, I think we're talking about Connection. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we can see Disconnection - Hoarding, Rudeness, and Hatred/Fear/Distrust. Connect and Disconnect. In a world populated by billions of people, surely, the name of the Game is Connection to open our hearts to ourselves and to others, to recognize others as fellow travelers. To connect.
Do you have 20 minutes? Brene Brown's TED talk about living with a whole-open hearted approach to connected living, how the development of empathy and giving enables joy and positive self image, (and likewise, the numbing of our emotions, to avoid pain, also numbs our happiness) is worth a watch, if you do.
Perhaps we can strive to open our hearts in 2013.
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