#kindness

This hurt me in a good way. Tears flowed. Not recommended for consumption on public transportation or in a café for anyone who is averse to crying in public.

Not only is the story an engaging one, the themes are immediately relevant to the situation we currently find ourselves in and again provide an excellent illustration of how #kindness and #care is not only good to have, but indispensable for our survival.

Listened to the #Booktrack edition again. Pleasantly cinematic like the first, and again like the first, a few of the soundtrack choices didn't quite mesh with the mood of the scenes they were in. Overall, though, the effect was one of augmentation rather than distraction.

I enjoyed this thoroughly and don't think I've ever read anything else which so aptly weaves relatable examples of how to be kind into an engaging story. That said, it's not just a story which is a container for giving examples of #kindness. The worldbuilding seems quite strong and consistent to me and reminded me favorably of Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought, right down to the way data streams are presented, but containing a lot more admirable behavior.

I listened to the #Booktrack edition, which gave the audiobook a pleasantly cinematic feel. Some of the choices for background music didn't really seem to fit, but in most cases the production was nicely done, especially the sound effects.

"You know what's underrated? Letting people be."

#kindness #weekend

A quotation from The Bible

   But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’
   Jesus replied, “A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side.
   “But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said ‘and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.’
   “Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands` hands?”
   “The one who took pity on him” he replied.
   Jesus said to him, “Go, and do the same yourself.”

The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
Luke 10: 29-37 [JB (1966)]

Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/bible-nt/39770/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bible #newtestament #jesus #parable #compassion #GoodSamaritan #kindness #love #loveyourenemy #loveyourneighbor #mercy #neighbor #pity

Recommending Ocean Vuong's The Emperor of Gladness for anyone who'd prefer to read about people being kind to each other than about whatever else is on offer.

It's not that the book doesn't have difficult moments. It definitely, most definitely, does.

But it's refreshing that kindness can appear in a literary context as a big issue worthy of discussion rather than only in fluffy, cheerful stories set in cafes or bookshops. There's a place for those, too, but relegating kindness only to light fiction does it a disservice.

We need to be talking about kindness. Maybe if we had more books and stories like this, maybe if they were the norm, we'd even have a kinder world.

#Kindness #Books #Bookstodon #Reading

So today, a group of elementary school children paraded through my neighborhood. I knew they were there because they were quite loud and energetic, and honestly I was very confused about what was happening. I mean, what on earth kind of field trip are they doing, wandering around from house to house?

I tried to see what they were up to, and I couldn’t really tell.

But after they’d passed, my husband opened the door to our back porch because it was a lovely day and the sun was out. And hanging on the doorknob was a handcrafted paper plate basket of paper flowers.

And it struck me—they were celebrating May Day.

And I got a surge of nostalgia. Growing up in the midwest of the US, my family celebrated the first of May as a sort of polar opposite to Halloween. We’d make paper cups and fill them with flowers and candy, deliver them secretly to the neighbors we loved, and run away quickly before they discovered them. No notes. No indication of where they came from or whom they came from.

And here, in Eureka, CA, 40 years later, was an entire elementary school class doing it as an organized activity.

I took that paper basket, and I put it on a hook on my refrigerator, to remind me of a different kind of sustenance than food.

Caring for others with no expectations.

I really really hope that elementary school class teacher knows how much they touched me. Because they restored a bit of my faith in humanity today.

#MayDay #kindness #bloomscrolling #neighbors #goodnews

I finished the book Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks. I love the topic about how to communicate well with other people – it’s an art that we can cultivate to our own and others’ benefit. It’s beautiful, healthy, and connective, and I was happy to have this book become available.

This is a long thread with my notes and direct quotes.

The book begins by identifying maxims that can be used to facilitate conversation, which I think are useful both offline and on: “The TALK maxims break conversation down into four crucial reminders that will guide our entire approach to make conversation more vibrant, enriching, and effective: Topics, because great conversationalists choose good topics and make any topic better; Asking, because asking questions helps us move between topics and dive deeper into them; Levity, to keep our conversations from becoming stale; and Kindness, because great talkers care for others and show it.”

It's an easy reminder – to stay curious, to introduce lightness, and to lead with compassion.

🧵

#Conversation #Communication #Books #Reading #Discussion #Kindness

I guess that "bare minimum" alt-text is better than no alt-text.

But giving people who can't view images high quality alt-text - a chance to enjoy an image properly - is (to me) just part of treating people kindly.

It takes but a few seconds to type an extra sentence or two.

Bad alt text: "Cat"

Good alt text: "A tabby cat sitting on a windowsill, looking out the window with its tail curled around its body."

https://www.rnib.org.uk/campaign-with-us/alt-text-campaign/how-can-i-write-alt-text/

#accessibility #kindness #alttext

Just don't hurt people.

💘

Thank you Banksy Art for this photo.

#love #Kindness #GenderEquality #TransRightsAreHumanRights #LGBTQIA #Racism