being kind does not mean being a door mat or a sitter on a fence refusing to take moral or ethical sides. you can be kind while standing true to personal beliefs and ideals. but you do these things without careless or thoughtless or intentional acts to cause harm.
there are many times i have hurt someone..denying them an animal, removing an animal from their care, firing staff or volunteers, changing a painful dressing, giving an injection, confirming a desperate fear that yes, their life will soon end, disagreeing with those who seek my support, turning my back on those who i can no longer stand with, refusing to help because help is not really wanted, but enabling is. sometimes doing the right thing, doing what is necessary, hurts but the act itself ultimately grows out of kindness, care and concern.
honor, honesty and truth are not weapons..they are an anchor in the storm, the light at the end of the darkened hallway with the door wide open and welcoming, waiting for others to come in.
it actually takes strength of heart to be kind in the face of adversity. to meet challenges respectfully. to find the value of others while still standing on the line of what we believe in.
and this sometimes gets lost in rescue..we mistake unkindness, bad manners, ignorant behavior for fiery passion.
a fire is best used to warm the cold night, to stave off darkness and bring in light. but let it get out of control and it will consume you and those around you.
passion without control, without purpose is a vice.
kindness and respect puts the breaks on, it holds the passion in check so that it can help others and not cause chaos in its wake.
i recently started a new rescue sharing page..one that is free of personal attacks against others, free from calling others truly foul names. so far so good. it started as a kind rescue site and so far it remains. we can always make a choice in where we want to be, how we want to live this life..when the darkness gets overwhelming, we can choose to try to find and share our own inner light.
kindness is not an excuse to be a victim...it is an honorable soldier living by example, acting with mindful concern and care, and believing that while diversity sometimes causes conflicts it can also be woven together into something more beautiful than each individual thread.
You hit the nail on the head I know sometimes I really have to bite my tongue I have not learned to be as empathic as you r I guess I need to learn that