14/10/2017
Beautiful morning message by the Kindnesses Collective!
Happy Sunday Folks!
In a recent survey performed by Lifeline, over 60% of respondents reported feeling lonely, in many cases despite living with a partner or spouse. It is universal. For some, the feeling is debilitating. It can lead us to completely close ourselves off from the world and create extreme feelings of shame, fear, anxiety, and a lack of self-worth.
It is the mission of The Kindness Collective to combat these feelings, because we know the idea that we're alone is flawed, and if there is one thing this community has taught us, it's that there are kind and loving people everywhere willing to offer support, the moment we open to receiving it. The whole idea of community, the common unity that binds us, the shared values, shared struggles, the shared desires for love and connection. It is all there when you look beneath the surface. You can appreciate it the moment you truly look at someone, and instead of just seeing their face, you see the story behind it. The lifetime of joys and struggles that have brought them to where they are now.
At the majority of our events, we do two things. We come together in a group embrace. For some, even this is confronting, with an inbuilt discomfort of becoming so close to strangers (aka friends you haven't met yet). We also aim to connect with someone else in the circle, and share something personal - what we're grateful for, what drives us, what are our fears - as a reminder of our shared human experience.
Secondly, we give out kindness cards, as a means of spreading random acts of kindness throughout the community. But, it also represents more than that. In moments of loneliness, using one of the cards on a friend or stranger acts as a reminder that we are not separate. It breaks down the barricades that our feelings of loneliness have built around us. It reminds us that others need help, love, and support in their moments of need as much as we do. And that what we give to others is also what we receive.
The easiest way to get someone to smile at you, is to smile at them first. The easiest way to create deeper conversations with those around you, is to share deeply. That is vulnerability, and as world renowned sociologist Brene Brown has shown in her research, it is key to our wellbeing. In her now infamous TED talk, she states that those who have the greatest sense of love and belonging in our communities possess one characteristic - they believe they are worthy of love and belonging. The outer world reflects our inner world. They have accepted their flaws with self-compassion, accepted that we are all one and the same, and accepted that the things that make them vulnerable, make them beautiful. So, if you ever feel lonely, just close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Smile. And know this - in all your self-perceived flaws and imperfections, you are loved. You are appreciated. You are accepted. And you, and your story, make up an important part of this local, and global community.
Get out in the rain this weekend and let it cleanse you of any fears and self doubts that are holding you back. Have a beautiful weekend :)