{"id":670,"date":"2019-06-19T23:18:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T23:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/?p=670"},"modified":"2019-06-30T09:06:35","modified_gmt":"2019-06-30T09:06:35","slug":"278-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/278-kindness\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"278 Kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"No<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\u00e3\u0080\u008ckindness<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kindness
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

It was a sunny day, at the beginning of summer in Okinawa. Riaz came in from school and called out, \u201cMom guess what I saw Mona do, when she was walking home from school today!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"02\" \u201cRiaz!\u201d warned Shahla right behind him. \u201cDon\u2019t be a tattle tale! You know Mom hates backbiting!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u00e3\u0080\u008cclip \u201cNO! NO! This is something good!\u201d shouted Riaz back excitedly. \u201cI saw her walk by a homeless man; she looked at him really sadly…. Then she went across the street to a vending machine and bought some milk or something, I don\u2019t know…but it looked healthy. She looked like she was going back towards school…walking about a block and then, she crossed the street again, and went past the same homeless guy. This time she stopped just a little away from him, and put down the drink and pretended to look in her bag. Then she walked off like she had forgotten all about the drink…leaving it unopened almost in front of the guy. He could have a heathy drink without him knowing that she did it on purpose!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u00e3\u0080\u008cclipAsma was standing next to Mother listening to this story, and finally he said…,\u201dand you just watched this whole drama take place, Riaz?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, at first I couldn\u2019t figure out what the heck she was doing. I was going to tease her…but then I figured it out. Wow! That\u2019s MY SISTER that did such a kind deed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Just then Mona walked in, and everyone turned to stare at her. She looked at them and said. \u201cWhat? What\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRiaz was telling us about your kindness to the homeless man.\u201d answered Mother smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw me Riaz? Do you often spy on me?\u201d Mona said a little crossly.<\/p>\n

Riaz laughed, \u201cYou never know, Mona, you better be careful what you do! Eyes are everywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very proud of all my kind children.\u201d Mother continued, \u201cAn old man once asked a little boy what he wanted to be when he grew up…and the little boy answered… \u2018Kind.\u2019\u201d\"\u00e3\u0080\u008cthe<\/p>\n

Mother smiled at her children. \u201cThat is what I desire for all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I guess even if you grow up to be a doctor or scientist…if you are not kind…you would just be scary!\u201d agreed Shahla.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah! I don\u2019t like scary doctors!\u201d said little Anisa, not quite understanding the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo any of you have any other stories of people showing kindness?\u201d asked Mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsma was kind to me when he let me buy the doll I wanted instead of his birthday present.\u201d said Shahla. \u201cRemember he said it could be my present to him, that I would love the doll.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone turned to look at Asma and he blushed and looked at the floor.<\/p>\n

Mona said, \u201cOh, remember little Ayden, Shahla\u2019s friend? He is only 5 years old but he split his birthday money three ways to get gifts for him and his two brothers, instead of spending it all on himself!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah! What a sweet little kid! I want to have a son just like him when I grow up!\u201d nodded Shahla.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e3\u0080\u008ctheAsma said, \u201cI remember a story…. I don\u2019t know if it is true or not. It\u2019s about a farmer who found an eagle with its foot caught in a trap. The farmer\u2019s first thought was to kill the eagle, but as he looked at it, he saw how beautiful it was, and thought, \u2018that eagle hasn\u2019t done anything to me, why should I hurt it?\u2019 So he cut the trap away from the eagle\u2019s foot, and it flew away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAhh that was kind!\u201d Anisa said, and everyone agreed with her.<\/p>\n

Asma continued, \u201cA weeks later the farmer was resting next to a stone wall, and the eagle was flying high above him. Suddenly the eagle flew down and snatched the man\u2019s hat from off his head, and dropped it down the road aways. The farmer jumped up and chased after his hat, thinking \u2018I saved that eagle and he teases me!\u2019 Just as the farmer reaches his hat, the whole stone wall crumbles down. If the farmer hadn\u2019t got up to get his hat he would have been killed! The eagle had seen the rocks getting ready to fall and went to save him!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAhh, kind eagle!\u201d said little Anisa, and everyone laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a good story Asma!\u201d Shahla said. \u201cIt reminds me of the a little of the man that was kind to the spider.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa! With a totally different ending!\u201d laughed Riaz.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e3\u0080\u008cclip \u201cTell me the story, tell me the story!\u201d said Anisa jumping up and down.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a story about a thief, and generally not good guy\u2026.\u201d began Mona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell the story, Mona!\u201d said Shahla. \u201cThis thief almost stepped on a spider, but then he thought, \u2018Oh, poor spider, I should be careful not hurt her,\u2019 and he carefully stepped over the spider. One day he died, but because he had not been a good man, he found himself in hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Shally! That\u2019s a bad word!\u201d said little Anisa.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s part of the story so it can\u2019t be helped!\u201d Shahla answered and then continued. \u201cThe Buddah looked down from Heaven and saw the thief and because of the kind deed he had done for the spider, the Buddah lowered a spider thread all the way down to Hell.\u201d Here Shahla stopped and gave Anisa a look that said, \u201cDon\u2019t interupt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thief saw the thread and grabbed it and started happily climbing out of the firey pit!! He was half way up, when he felt the thread wobbling.\u201d As she told the story Shahla pretended to hold on to the thread and swing back and forth. \u201cThe thief looked down and saw a lot of other people climbing up after him. He yelled down at them, \u2018No! No! This is my thread, not yours!!\u2019 He started kicking the heads of the people below him.\u201d Shahla, with her hands on the pretend thread, kicked and kicked. \u201cThen, because of all the jerking, the thread broke and the thief and everyone else tumbled back down to Hell!\u201d And Shahla fell to the floor to demonstrate. \u201cThe Buddha looked down at them sadly shaking His head and walked away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOhhh, how sad!\u201d said Anisa, \u201cWhat does the story mean, Mom?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I guess it means, the thief was rewarded for his kindness, but his selfishness caused him to suffer.\u201d\"C:\\Users\\User\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\Windows\\INetCache\\Content.MSO\\5F701E33.tmp\"<\/p>\n

\u201cKindness-Good, Selfish-Bad! Got it!\u201d said Riaz laughing. And everyone joined in.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Kindness is the opposite of Selfishness?\u201d asked Mona.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, maybe it is.\u201d agreed Mother, \u201cKindness is how we show love. Selfishness is the opposite. To love, you have to care for the other person and forget yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, remember the story of the girl with the magic parasol?\u201d said Mona. \u201c(That is a sun umbrella, Anisa!) She thought she was ugly, but one day an old woman gave her a magic parasol, and she suddenly found herself beautiful. She was so happy and \"\"confident! Then she saw a poor crippled boy who was being teased. She went and put the parasol over him and he became tall and handsome. The two of them danced and played and had fun at the festival. When it was time to go home…the girl couldn\u2019t decide if she should take the parasol with her or give it to the boy. Finally she decided he needed it more than she did. She kindly gave him the parasol and walked sadly home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shahla jumped in and finshed the story with, \u201cAnd when she walked by the pond she looked at her reflection and found that she was more beautiful than before. A kindly heart is the most beautiful!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah! Good story!\u201d shouted Anisa.\"20160307143354_00002\"<\/p>\n

Mother looked at them and said, \u201cSo we all need to practice showing love through kindness. We can do this by: 1)Smiling at everyone. 2)Being respectful to everyone, even those who are younger than us. 3) Not leaving people out. Try to include everyone, so no one feels bad. 4) Offering to help, even people you don\u2019t know. 5)Thinking about others over yourself.\u201d Mother smiled and finished, \u201cIn other words, let\u2019s all try and be more like \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha. He is our Example. He was always kind to everyone, no matter how they treated him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, animals and bugs too!\u201d Anisa put in. \u201c\u2019Abdu\u2019l-Baha and Baha\u2019u\u2019llah were always kind to animals and bugs too!\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYes there are lots of stories about Their kindness to all God\u2019s creatures. Also stories about Jesus, Buddah, Moses and Mohammaed showing kindness. But those
\nstories will have to wait for another time,\u201d Mother said. \u201cIt is time for you all to go and do your homework! But there is a quote from Baha\u2019u\u2019llah that I would like you all to memorize.\u201d Mother said. \u201cLet\u2019s all try and be ready to share it with Daddy at dinner time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLook not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindness and mercy.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mother wrote it down for the older children, and then took Anisa into the kitchen to help her memorize it. The rest of the children could be heard laughing and making \"C:\\Users\\User\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\Windows\\INetCache\\Content.MSO\\85BDB01F.tmp\"bets on who could be the first to memorize the quote as they went into their rooms to do their homework.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAs rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgements, but rain your kindness equally on all.\u201d \u2014Buddha
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Quiz<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Who did Riaz want to tell Mother about?
    \n____________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Who was Mona kind to?
    \n___________________________________________________________________________<\/li>\n
  3. How did she help the homeless man?
    \n___________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Who was Asma kind to?
    \n___________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. What did Shahla\u2019s friend Ayden do that was kind?
    \n___________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. How did the eagle repay the farmer\u2019s kindness?
    \n___________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. How did the Buddha repay the thief\u2019s kindness to the spider?
    \n____________________________________________________________________________<\/li>\n
  8. What happened to the thief when he tried to kick off the other people
    \n____________________________________________________________________________<\/li>\n
  9. How was the girl with the magic parasol rewarded for her kindness
    \n____________________________________________________________________________<\/li>\n
  10. What are some of the ways we can show kindness\u2026like the 5 ways Mother talked about
    \n____________________________________________________________________________
    \n\"03\"\"https:\/\/scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t34.0-12\/24098706_10213066705520295_1016562900_n.jpg?oh=94d737722b7992f8588b904dee6810fa&oe=5A1D61DA\"
    \n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n


    \nHow did you do? Did you get them all right? The answers are on the Parents\u2019 Page.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \n

    Art Project\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Magic Blooming Flowers\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Materials:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Flower print.<\/li>\n
    • Scissors.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Markers (water color, not permanent!).<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Shallow bowl of water.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Method:\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Print out flowers.<\/li>\n
      • Color flowers in multiple colors.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Cut out flowers.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Fold petals in, to lay flat.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Place folded flower in water and watch it bloom as the colors blend!<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Take out after it has bloomed\u2026if you leave it in the water too long\u2026all the colors go into the water and you have a white flower again.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        \n

        <\/h2>\n

        Color<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        <\/h2>\n

        the picture\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n

        See if you can name all the creatures.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \n

        Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/h2>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"A<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \n

        Parents\u2019 Page<\/strong><\/h2>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Some more quotes on kindness to reflect on and share with your family.<\/p>\n

        \u201cO Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Baha\u2019u\u2019llah<\/p>\n

        \u201cA kindly tongue is the loadstone of the hearts of men.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Baha\u2019u\u2019llah<\/p>\n

        \u201cYe dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong> Baha\u2019u\u2019llah<\/p>\n

        \u201cDo not be content with showing friendship in words alone; let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cStrive always that you may be united. Kindness and love in the path of service must be your means.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cTo the blessed animals, however, the utmost kindness should be exercised: the more the better it will be. This sympathy and kindness is one of the fundamental principles of the Divine Kingdom.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cIt is your duty to be exceedinly kind to every human being\u2026until ye change the world of man into the world of God.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cNever is it the wish of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha to see any being hurt, nor will He make anyone to grieve; for man can receive no greater gift than this, that he rejoice another\u2019s heart. I beg of God that ye will be bringers of joy, even as are the angels in Heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cThis is the hour when ye must associate with all the earth\u2019s peoples in extreme kindliness and love, and be to them the signs and tokens of God\u2019s great mercy.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n

        \u201cUnless you must, bruise not the serpent in the dust. And if you can, no ant should ye alarm. Much less a brother harm.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n

        Quiz Answers<\/strong>:1) Mona. 2) A homeless man. 3) She bought him a healthy drink. 4) Shahla on his birthday. 5) He shared his birthday money by buying his brothers presents. 6) The eagle saved the man\u2019s life by making him chase his hat away from the stones that were about to crumble. 7) By sending down a spider\u2019s thread for him to climb up to heaven. 8) He fell back to hell because of his selfishness. 9) Her beauty reflected out from her face. 10) Smiling at others, being respectful of everyone, even little ones, not leaving people out, including everyone, thinking about others over yourself.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Kindness It was a sunny day, at the beginning of summer in Okinawa. Riaz came in from school and called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":819,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670\/revisions\/819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahaijp.org\/daystar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}