Love and kindness can take place in the most unexpected places and situations. For example, the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan is often misunderstood and underestimated concerning the power of its narrative. To an average modern person, it might seem that the jest of the story is that the Samaritan helped the traveler whom he had never seen before; the performed kindness is then of the general order, the one towards the poor and injured. However, historical content reveals that Samaritans were seen as enemies of Jewish people based on the multigenerational feud. The meaning of the parable, thus, is about being kind towards all people, overpassing their beliefs, kinship, or participating in hostile activities. Kindness and love are the most precious achievements of human civilizations, and they should be manifested and spread regardless of any collateral factors.
Despite the fact that the modern world is a better, kinder place to live than in the mentioned parable, people continue to separate from each other for a myriad of varied reasons. As such, in the US, the most overwhelming problem is the politically polarized society. Even the Liberals claiming that kindness and love are their primary values manifest them towards the people who share their doctrine while being aggressive towards others. However, everyone should understand that different views come from different experiences and life backgrounds. The lack of understanding between the conflicting groups is normal in the pluralistic world that we obtain. Thus, people with different views and beliefs should be treated with kindness and love to spread these values, not just one’s political “neighbors.”
Moreover, love and kindness are always better choices than hatred and aggression. Hatred is an emotion that anyone can feel and does not implicate some internal struggle of a person to overcome oneself and others. At the same time, kindness and love should be cultivated so that a person can manifest them towards their close people and, more importantly, towards enemies. These feelings take effort and much exercise, presenting a challenge for a person, which could be admired if achieved. Thus, kindness and love prove one’s persistence, moral strength, and spiritual power and are better-disarming choices than hatred.
Finally, manifesting love and kindness is the only option that could be chosen to save and enhance all people’s lives. The arising conflicts are often resolved through aggression and violent actions. Sometimes, these are motivated by the desire for the greater good. However, no good purpose can be achieved through violence since the result is more violence in the future. Even Hitler had a good purpose—guaranteeing a bright future for the German people. Yet, the cost of the measures done for achieving this purpose is humans’ lives which loss could not be compensated in any way. Thus, to oppose disorder and injustice, one should use only love and kindness to stop the circle of violence in human civilization.
Hence, the parable of the Samaritan shows an imperative for all generations ahead: be kind towards your neighbor, who is each human being. The separation of views should not lead to hatred from the polarizing sides. The conflicts should not be resolved through further resentment towards the opponents. No greater good is worth sacrificing amounting to human lives. Therefore, spread love and kindness in non-violent ways—by being kind towards others.