My vreugdes en frustrasies

A - Z (2018)

#AtoZchallenge (2018) K is for feeling Kind

My theme for this challenge is “feelings” of a sexagenarian and the influence of social media.

My tema vir hierdie uitdaging is “gevoelens” van ‘n sestig-plusser en die invloed van sosiale media.

English (Afrikaans below):

Kind: having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature. I really had a problem with this alphabet letter as there were not many choices for my theme. I wasn’t too sure that I’m feeling kinky would be well received on a blog with no age restrictions, so I chose kind.

I could not make up my mind whether kind is an emotion or rather a characteristic. However, I often hear people say “I’m feeling kind today, so you can have my last chocolate / borrow my car / go home early.”

Okay then, when do I feel kind? I feel kind when I very generously hand over my ice-cream money to the car guard whose services I did not require in the first place. I feel kind when I take my whole family into consideration and cook a meal even though I do not feel like it. I feel kind when I put on a very friendly smile for the greengrocer who sold me a pocketful of sour oranges last week. I feel … like a hypocrite.

So, rather let’s talk about a person who has a sweet disposition and a kind nature; the kind of person who loves giving to, caring for and nurturing other people, animals and the environment, without expecting anything in return. I’ve met a few, but they are few and far apart, or maybe I just don’t meet too many of them in my daily walk of life. The grabbing, needy, wanting masses are much more evident.

The role of social media:  Social media users have opened my eyes to the current sense of entitlement, selfishness, condemnation and hate.  On the other hand, I also read heartwarming tales about random acts of kindness and those people who serve their fellow man with unconditional love. I practice selective reading on social media to ensure a healthy emotional balance between hope an despair. Today’s emoji: 😊

Afrikaans:

Goedhartig: ‘n vriendelike, vrygewige en bedagsame aard hê of vertoon. Ek het regtig ‘n probleem met die letter “k” gehad omdat daar nie baie keuses was vir my tema nie. Ek was nie te seker of I’m feeling kinky aanvaarbaar sou wees op ‘n blog sonder enige ouderdomsbeperking nie, so ek maar liewer kind gekies.

Ek kon nie besluit of die Engelse woord kind ‘n emosie of eerder ‘n kenmerk is nie. Tog hoor ek dikwels mense sê: “Ek voel vandag so vriendelik (bedoelende goedhartig), dat jy maar my laaste sjokolade kan kry / my motor kan leen / vroeg huis toe kan gaan.”

Oukei dan, wanneer voel ek goedhartig? Ek voel so goedhartig as ek my roomysgeld gee vir die karwag wie se dienste ek in die eerste plek nie nodig geag het nie. Ek voel goedhartig as ek my hele familie in ag neem en ‘n ete kook, al voel ek nie lus daarvoor nie. Ek voel so goedhartig as ek baie vriendelik glimlag vir die groenteverkoper wat verlede week ‘n sak vol suur lemoene aan my verkoop het. Ek voel … soos ‘n huigelaar.

So, laat ons liewer praat oor ‘n persoon wat ‘n lieflike ingesteldheid en ‘n goedhartige natuur het; die soort persoon wat graag gee en ander mense, diere en die omgewing  versorg en voed sonder die verwagting om iets te terug te kry. Ek het ‘n paar ontmoet, maar hulle is geplant, nie gesaai nie, of miskien ontmoet ek nie te veel van hulle in my daaglikse lewenswandel nie. Die grypende, behoeftige massas wat alles wil hê,  is baie duideliker sigbaar.

Die rol van sosiale media: Sosiale media gebruikers het my oë oopgemaak vir die huidige gevoel van aanspraak op alles, egoïsme, veroordeling en haatdraendheid. Aan die ander kant lees ek ook aangrypende verhale oor spontane dade van barmhartigheid en daardie mense wat hul medemens met onvoorwaardelike liefde dien. Ek lees sosiale media-berigte op selektiewe wyse  om ‘n gesonde emosionele balans tussen hoop en wanhoop te verseker. Emoji vir vandag: 😊

Read all my entries for the #AtoZchallenge (April 2018) here.

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14 Comments

  1. Partykeer gee ek graag vir iemand, as ek sien die behoefte is groot. Ek vererg my wel bloedig as ek in ‘n blik gedruk word om te gee. Dan voel ek gladnie ” kind” nie!
    Mooi geskryf, Hester.

    • Comment by post author

      HesterLeyNel

      Dankie Bytjie. Ons het so een outjie hier in Port Shepstone wat altyd “net 10 sente” vra en dan so ewe dramaties sy hand oopmaak om te wys hy het darem al ‘n paar 90c se tiensentstukke bymekaargemaak. Dan lag ons heerlik en gee hom ‘n rand.

  2. Ja Hester. ‘n Mens gee graag. Meer nie as iemand dit van jou verwag ni.! Ek voel ook so.

  3. Nilanjana Bose

    True – kindness and kind people seem in the minority right now. Social media is just a mirror reflecting the community at large. Very wise decision to read selectively!

  4. I have picked kind too. 🙂

    Kindness does come with no expectation. Well drafted. 🙂 Internet sure has lots of stories of kindness.

  5. love love love hierdie deel van jou challenge – kan nie wag om dit te lees nie xxxx

  6. So bly jy glimlag darem nog vir die ou wat suur lemoene aan jou verkoop het 😊
    Barmhartigheid is beautiful, en so noodsaaklik in ons ou wêreld.

    • Comment by post author

      HesterLeyNel

      Daar is baie mense wat my al verstom het met hulle “kindness”. Ek ondervind dit meer hier waar ons alewig sonder krag en water is, of sukkel met septiektenks. Mense help graag.

  7. a tendency to kindness, genuine kindness is a good thing me thinks. I love mini clips on social media that show kindness to animals. I watched one where a man help a goat with very curly horns escape from a thin tree where the goat had got his horn stuck.Luckily the man survived this act of kindness

    • Comment by post author

      HesterLeyNel

      I also love those clips. I watched one today where a young girl saved a half-drowned squirrel’s life by applying CPR. I thought that was so sweet!