ESPN has a show called SCFeatured that describes itself as "the power of sports." This particular story is much more about the power of kindness. It's a story about a dog named Arthur but more so about someone's kindness inspired by Arthur.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18814225
When I was a child, my grandmother had a dog named Scotty. Along with a couple of my cousins, I would feed Scotty pieces of bread. My grandmother one day told me that I should give the bread to the poor people who are everywhere in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She wondered why I was being kind to a dog when so many people were suffering. I can imagine that some people who view the story of Arthur might wonder if this group of Swedes would have had the same reaction to a person.
Fair question.
But my grandmother also apparently told my mother and my aunts that if they encountered a man who did not like kids or dogs or cats, they should probably avoid him. I compare these two pieces of advice from my grandmother to highlight the importance of kindness, no matter what may bring out your kindness.
George Saunders said it very well:
"Find out what makes you kinder, what opens you up and brings out the most generous, and unafraid version of you--and go after those things as if nothing else matters.
Because, actually, nothing else does."
So this ESPN video is actually a story about what brings out the most kind version of Mikael Lindnord. And, hopefully, many of us.
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18814225
When I was a child, my grandmother had a dog named Scotty. Along with a couple of my cousins, I would feed Scotty pieces of bread. My grandmother one day told me that I should give the bread to the poor people who are everywhere in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She wondered why I was being kind to a dog when so many people were suffering. I can imagine that some people who view the story of Arthur might wonder if this group of Swedes would have had the same reaction to a person.
Fair question.
But my grandmother also apparently told my mother and my aunts that if they encountered a man who did not like kids or dogs or cats, they should probably avoid him. I compare these two pieces of advice from my grandmother to highlight the importance of kindness, no matter what may bring out your kindness.
George Saunders said it very well:
"Find out what makes you kinder, what opens you up and brings out the most generous, and unafraid version of you--and go after those things as if nothing else matters.
Because, actually, nothing else does."
So this ESPN video is actually a story about what brings out the most kind version of Mikael Lindnord. And, hopefully, many of us.
