My Father

I like this statement. Very often kindness, good behaviour, desire to see others happy is treated as a sign of stupidity or weakness. Kindness is also soon treated as a sense of entitlement.

With a broken spine- a gift of colonial rule, we like following Masters. We understand harshness. We are comfortable with commands.

Kindness is equated with feminine qualities. Hence it is a softer quality. Hence uncomfortable. Kindness is actually stronger than strength. When again and again your kindness comes back misjudged and mistreated it is difficult not to kill it.

My father was a kind man. The gentlest man I have come across. When somebody misunderstood his kindness, gentleness he simply moved on. Didn't change himself but just moved on.

Did he hide the hurt?

I will never find out but I will remember the moving on. My mother and I used to be shocked and irritated on how simply he forgot and embraced the misguided soul again.
Now that I latch on to memories, one out of the many things he taught me will stay hopefully forever.
"Let the palm face downward rather than upward. Even if that is stupidity."

So I will keep the beast sleeping for oneday, someday just kindness will be enough.

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