Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

UU Collective

Home
New Visions
Human Kindness

Human Kindness

Last updated on: June 8, 2012 at 9:20 am by Alicia Forde

Human Kindness 2012-06-08T09:20:07-06:00 Alicia Forde

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Imagine this:

The day is hot and the line at the gas station is long.

After all, it’s the least expensive gas in town.

I pull in behind a tan Toyota, tired and dusty – ready to fill up my

gas tank and make my way home.

Only the Toyota isn’t moving.

The Toyota and its occupants seemed to have settled in for the afternoon.

Parked and content to sit next to the gas pump without actually

exiting the car to pump the gas.

I was cranky and

growing increasingly annoyed as the seconds – and I do mean seconds – ticked by.

All the other pumps

were occupied and I was stuck waiting with

mounting impatience behind this car that

was going no-where, doing nothing…it was just sitting there.

Finally – after about 30 seconds wait time – the driver of the Toyota emerged

apologetic and mildly frazzled:

“My car” she says “It won’t start. I’ve never had car troubles before.

I just had the battery changed yesterday.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to her.

I only drive my car, I don’t actually know a single thing about cars.

Just then, in a flash, they seemed to arrive out of thin air –

unlikely superheroes – two men were pushing the Toyota.

One, a lanky white guy with a buzz cut, covered from neck to wrists

in tattoos. He was guiding the rescue. Steering the car through the window

as he pushed.

The other, young clean cut Latino gave his all to the task.

I finished pumping my gas and to justify all the hours I put in at the gym,

I joined in pushing the car and driver to safety.

Once safely parked, the three of us fanned out in search of jumper cables.

It became an “operation” and just like that, I forgot that I was hungry, tired, and dusty.

At one point, I paused to look at us. An unlikely tangle of individuals

coming together in community to help a neighbor in need.

Sure, we didn’t live next door to each other, but in that moment

in that gas station, we were neighbors:

A Caribbean woman, an Asian American woman, Latino youth, tattooed white male – we were all working together for a single purpose

Human kindness / overflowing

in a small – yet for the driver of that Toyota – significant way.

Moments such as these unfold for us everyday.

We can choose to step into them or step around them.

It’s always a choice. It’s always a choice to slow down and give our full attention.

To see another into being.

To stop and engage giving of our very best in that moment

whether to ourselves or to others.

No one else has the right to define for you

what your best may be at any given moment.

Only you know what that is

what it looks like

feels like – and truthfully, what you have the reserves for

because, let’s face it: there is a lot of need in the world

There are needs everywhere…and we determine when and how much we give.

Sometimes we are asked to stretch way beyond our places of comfort

To truly see another…to attend…to listen…to be present…to give…

When that happens, when we are able to do that, when we reach back out into the world

Sometimes a little bit of magic happens.

A little bit of salvific hospitality leaps into our reality…into someone else’s reality

and for a moment, we are less lonely.

We are less afraid.

Previous Post

June 7, 2012

A Personal Relationship with God

Next Post

June 9, 2012 Paying Attention

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #9/11 Abortion Class community conflict Digital Life Diversity Divorce Environmental issues Evangelism Faith Development Foregiveness Garden glbt Gratitude Grief Healing health care Holidays Hospitality Interfaith LGBT Issues Military Service Mortality Orlando Parenting Peace Politics Power Prayer Racism Relationships Religion Scripture Senior citizens Sermons simplicity Social Justice Spirituality Sports Sustainability Uncategorized Unitarian Universalist Values Women's Issues World Community Worship

Select a Month August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city’s walls fell after the Israelites marched around them?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Babylon Nineveh Jericho Jerusalem