Although it may seem a stretch to compare kindness to charity since kindness is of itself a separate thing, there is a notion that to give someone ‘the benefit of the doubt’ is to be kind. It is a condescending notion yet, sometimes we have to assess a situation for the best outcome. Along with common sense, discernment, and experience, we give someone the benefit of the doubt. Put another way, be charitable by suspending possible judgmental view, criticism, or skepticism. To do so is what I consider the warmer side of charity, as warm as the sun-kissed desert sands, unlike the blast of icy freezing charity described in my first article.
To suspend judgment requires confidence in our powers of discernment, our empathy or emotional intelligence. It also needs a rejection of any negativity affecting the decision. The onus is not on the receiver of our charity to effect a positive outcome. It is up to us to accept whatever the outcome we stand by our decision to think positively in the situation. This requires trust in our abilities and trust in the powers of positivity, regardless of disappointment. When we think if something can go right it will, rather than that if something can go wrong it will, as suggested in ‘Murphy’s Law’.
Attitude plays a powerful role in the decisions we make. If a child or learner is to produce the best results from our teaching, the teacher’s positive attitude makes all the difference. There are countless adults that come through the education systems who can testify to the difference a positive teacher made. An important quality we need is also the ability to see the good potential in people and to assist others. Anyone who has difficulty achieving their potential for good can have this made easier drastically with a little help. Taking the time to care for other’s needs, be they material or psychological, is also charitable. That ‘I see you’ ability is crucial. We need to learn to give the best of our abilities rather than the least.
