Kindness Is Never Wasted

I had been struggling with the selection of speakers for an academic meeting.
After finally consulting a senior colleague, the situation now seems likely to be resolved.

Perhaps I should have asked for advice earlier.
Still, having wrestled with the problem on my own made me appreciate the help all the more.

 

I am regularly invited to give talks as a guest speaker at several study meetings.

There are certainly many people who are far more capable than I am, and who know much more than I do.
And yet, I continue to be invited.

I am not entirely sure how useful I am to others, but for my part, I learn something every time.
For that, I am deeply grateful.

Of course, the help I receive is not limited to my professional life.
At many moments and in many situations, I am supported by different people.

I recently wrote an article saying something like, “I am who I am thanks to everyone around me.”
The fact that I find myself writing about the same thing again today suggests that I may have begun to forget that gratitude, even if only a little.

I need to be careful.

There is a Japanese saying that kindness is never for the benefit of the recipient alone.
I hope that I, too, can remain—however modestly—within that ongoing cycle of kindness.