![]() ![]() My partner, who was with me when I gave Kasun the 1000 Rupees, was also deeply touched. Kasun’s kindness inspired me to return the kind act and also to be kinder in general. He helped me trust more in the world around me. His kindness shifted me out of my habit of fear and defensiveness and showed me the goodness that was also there in people around me. I was so grateful to him for his trust in me and his generosity. I was relieved and delighted when I finally ran into him again, and I gave him the full 1000 Rupees. I looked for him for several weeks at the place where he picked me up, and asked other tuk tuk drivers where he might be. I told him my name and explained where I lived, very close to where he picked me up, so that he could come find me. His generosity and relaxed open-heartedness deeply moved me. My mind had narrowed a bit in those first few weeks, on the lookout for those who might try to overcharge a clueless foreigner, and this gesture was completely unexpected. I had never met him before but he was completely at ease with letting me walk away with the money. I offered to go into the hotel to find change, but he insisted it was ok. He didn’t have change so he said to keep it and I could pay him later. I didn’t have change so I gave the driver a 1000 Rupee note. This is not a small sum in a country where the average daily income is about 1100 Rupees. Kasun’s KindnessĪ few weeks after I had arrived, I took a tuk tuk, (also known as a three-wheeler or a trishaw), to meet friends at a hotel. There had also been political unrest just before I moved which made me even more alert for potential danger in an unfamiliar place. I noticed I held a more defensive stance internally and was more fearful that I am used to being, because everything was unfamiliar (like driving on the other side of the street), I didn’t know the people around me, couldn’t speak the language, and I didn’t want to get taken advantage of. I was used to moving around much more anonymously, and blending in as a local in the very heterogeneous population of Washington DC. I found this staring uncomfortable and mildly threatening. In Colombo people would stare at me as I am obviously foreign-looking and in the suburb of Colombo in which I live there aren’t many foreigners. During the first six weeks or so I experienced culture shock as I adjusted to a very different lifestyle than in Washington DC. I moved to Colombo, Sri Lanka a year ago. To celebrate World Kindness Day, Kaira Jewel, a former Buddhist nun who lived for 15 years in the Plum Village community, offers reflections and a mindfulness practice to help us cultivate kindness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |