The Power of Kindness

"But wait. While no doubt we are altruistic, we are at the same time the cruelest species on the planet. Our history is full of wickedness and horrors. Yet a unilateral and fixed view of human nature is both false and dangerous. The image of primitive humans fighting for survival through violence and bullying is misleading. If our long evolution has been successful, it is also because we have been kind...This is how we have faced adversity, developed our intelligence and our multiple resources. It is thanks to the warmth and care we have given and received that, so far, have been winning - because we have helped one another...

No doubt about it, we would all be much better off in a kinder world. Kindness, in its broadest sense, is the universal remedy - first, for the individual, for we can be well only if we are able to care for ourselves, to love ourselves. And then for all of us, because if we have better relationships, we feel and do better...

We still do not know, however, who we really are. The definitive version does not yet exist. We are capable of the most horrendous crimes and the most sublime acts. Neither of these two potentials is established enough to allow us to define it as a dominant trait of human nature.

It is up to us. It is a choice in the life of each of us - to take the road of selfishness and abuse, or the way of solidarity and kindness. In this exciting but dangerous moment of human history, kindness is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Maybe if we treat each other, and our planet, a little better, we can survive, even thrive. And by becoming kinder, we might end up discovering that we have given ourselves the best, most intelligently selfish gift."

-Piero Ferrucci

The highlight of yesterday:

Mom, Katherine and I are at my grandmother's house, assembling the village that stands under the tree every year. Side story: every year Kat and I come up with a different theme. Last year, the animals were a choir. The year before that, West Side Story. We considered creating a "normal" village this year, then realized that Grampy would have been very concerned. "Now why would you do that?" he'd say. So, in his honor, Kat and I did something completely different, and spelled out "Merry Christmas!" with the larger animals, and formed an ornament with the babies. Of course, we thought we were absolutely hilarious, as we tend to do. There you go, Grampy, hope you like it.

Anyway, Kat and I are under the tree, Mom and Grammy are discussing the details of Saturday's memorial service and interring of the ashes. The lovely tidbits I overhear:

-Grampy is sitting up in his favorite room, in a little velvet pouch. Thankfully, I didn't notice that when I went in there to collect the village box.
-Some of his ashes are to be sprinkled in the orchestra pit at the Metropolitan Opera, in a nook where they won't get vacuumed up...this admittedly is pretty cool.
-And a tie for the most bizarre: "I've sprinkled a tablespoon of him in my drawers," and "Would you girls each like a baggie to take with you?"

Likening my grandfather's ashes to a bag of cookies to take on the road (which is how nonchalantly she asked it)...well, it was a little strange, I have to tell you. I'm the first to say that they're only ashes, devoid of any soul, any life. But still, I think they should be regarded with a little more reverence than leftovers. I'm just saying. Dear lord, this is going to be a long weekend.

"A Girl and Her Pen"

Greetings, comrades. As you can see, the time has come for me to enter this vast blogosphere. Actually, the time was about an hour ago, but it took me this long to find an available address. Bloody pain, let me tell you. And yes, I realize that I have a keyboard in front of me, and not a pen, but a) "une fille et son clavier" doesn't have the same ring to it, and b) many of these writings will likely spawn from something I've jotted down during the day, 99.7% of the time in pen. That's just how I roll.

Anyway, I wish I could tell you what to expect, but quite frankly, I don't know myself. The possibilities are endless, really. I imagine I'll have my moments of great insight and stunning wit, but I'm just as likely to turn this into some collection of...well... scribbles and scrabbles. Posts without any real point, as it were. Basically, this is my way of freeing up brain space. Enjoy.