The Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, wrote, “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”
A life full of kindness. What beautiful words and what an inspiring goal! Yet how do we incorporate this concept into our busy lives? Here are three books about doing just that.
‘Kind Is the New Classy: The Power of Living Graciously’ by Candace Cameron Bure
“The world has a way of defining you if you don’t know who you are before you get out there.” —Candace Cameron Bure
Candace Cameron Bure is an American actress, author, and talk show panelist. In her latest book, Bure’s emphasis is on showing people that they matter. She strives to give people the gift of respect to others and themselves. She does this, not in a preachy way, but in quite a classy way by using examples from her life to show how this can be accomplished.
She is a religious person and lives her religion daily. Her book is geared to adult women, but I feel anyone can benefit from reading it.
In each chapter Bure gives her thoughts about kindness and examples of how she follows her own advice. Here is a quick summary of each chapter.
1. “Kindness knows its purpose.” Don’t make decisions that go against your conscience.
2. “Kindness keeps its cool even in the hot topics.” Especially when dealing with controversial topics, spread love, not hate.
3. “Kindness recognizes the image of God in all people.” Bure uses an old maxim here: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
4. “Kindness gets ambitious for the good of others.” Challenge others to be their finest.
5. “Kindness practices healthy self-care.” Take care of your body.
6. “Kindness takes responsibility for its choices and actions.” If we’re ruled by feelings, Bure feels that we start to make decisions based on not how we feel, but how we feel in the moment.
7. “Kindness opens its door and life to others.” Bure talks about getting creative about hospitality.
8. “Kindness Steps Forward in Confidence For What’s Right.” Stand up for what is right.
9. “Kindness Works to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships.” Be deliberate about making friendships that will help you to grow.
10. “Kindness Starts Small and Trusts Every Action Matters.” Kindness usually starts small and it grows from there.
