According to the ancient philosopher, Barney the Dinosaur, “Sharing is caring”. This phrase is repeated often in the homes of young children, in our school systems, and even occasionally, in the news. Well, maybe not on the Certainly Not News channel, but on others, I suppose. I submit though, that Barney was a fraud and hypocrite. We as a society, have been duped. Purple has been worn by royalty since ages past, so we were mesmerized by his garments and persuaded to believe everything that came out of his mouth. May I point out though, as a well trained observer, that he was actually clothed in fuschia, which screams imposter; but I digress. Barney exhorted others to give what they have to those in need, to show kindness, but what did he give? Certainly not the clothes off his back as he pranced around au naturel. Did he even take the time to tie the shoes of a young child? Nevermind that he was a limb challenged American, he should have walked the walk.
Let’s look at what sharing and kindness, in general, should look like. In all reality, showing kindness takes energy, time, and it often takes money. Sometimes, kindness takes your life. Whoo hoo, sign me up! Instead of being a skeptic, though, I decided to try this kindness stuff in my own life. While driving to my local Dunkin, I noticed a man sitting with a sign claiming homelessness. Instead of ignoring, I purchased some food for him, and then went about my way. On another occasion, I received a flyer requesting donations of household goods. So I loaded up boxes of trinkets and clothes, and set them out for pick up. In these two examples, I lost multiple things. I lost gas in my car, well loved articles of clothing, money in my wallet (who am I kidding, I charged it on my nearly maxed out credit card like all red blooded Americans do and yes, that hot pink headband was signed by The elusive Bigfoot. Furthermore, I swear on my grandpappy Jehosaphat’s grave, that it had a deductible thrift store value of $425. By the way, I think I may have accidentally lost my marbles in one of the donation boxes. No worries, I’m sure they have a deductible value of at least $65). What I also lost though, was selfishness. I lost a few moments of focusing on my problems, and opened my eyes to the difficulties of others. I lost an ungrateful attitude, as I realize how much I really have. So yes, showing kindness is for losers. What one is losing is self centeredness. Count me in.