Speaker Steve Foran Talks About the True Meaning of Kindness
Below is an excerpt from an article written by Steve Foran, a speaker and writer based in Halifax
WHEN NOTED anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked how she knew when she had found the beginnings of civilization, she replied, “A healed femur.”
Thousands of years ago, one would not have been able to survive a broken femur unless there were others willing to hunt, fish, feed, and generally take care of the injured. According to Foran, this is what defines us as a civilization; the willingness and ability to care for others as well as ourselves.
In 2007, he spoke to generous people in the Nova Scotia area, and analyzed how generous people measured their kindness-in time or money. He concluded the seemingly basic ideas that generous individuals were grateful, and had the desire to help others. As simple as this may seem, individuals who truly are grateful for what they’ve been given and desire to spread kindness with no strings attached is not as common as it would seem.
Foran concluded that giving is an integral part of human nature, just as a mother selflessly gives herself to her child. The idea hinges upon the idea of being free of judgment and giving regardless of the perception of others. Giving with no expectations of reward or revere is what draws the line between generous people and most of the population who sees selfless acts as futile.
As a society, there is a slow shift toward the direction of kindness and charity, but there are undoubtedly many steps that still need to be taken in order to achieve a better well being among humanity. Mead defined civilization as people having the capacity to care for others as well as themselves, with judgment and condemning others serving no practical purpose.
Foran believes that within time, more studies will show a shift in generosity as well as reasons certain individuals feel compelled to give to others. Perhaps as a society, we will one day learn that taking care of others is necessary in our advancement.
Read the original story Kindness an impressive act of giving.
Tags: Acts of Kindness, Love, Studies
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