Connecting to the Golden Chain

For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with words and language. I have marveled at true geniuses of word-craft in their ability to evoke emotions, convey power, produce impact and even change minds through books, articles, scripts and speeches.

One particular facet of studying written language that I love is etymology, the study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed as they moved throughout history. When I was in college, I took a course in Hermeneutics, which involved the interpretations of literary texts, typically in the original languages they were written it. I spent many hours and days with concordances researching words back to their Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew origins, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finding how words were given their meanings, and what those meanings essentially began as, actually gives you much more insight into the concepts, ideas and power of language, and it gives pause to consider how some terms and thoughts have been watered down as language has changed.

Consider the influential German writer, Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, author of the historic play, “Faust”, when he wrote:

“Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound.”

It is when one begins to dig into the etymology of the word “kindness” that the real truth, and power, of this statement begins to be revealed.

First used in the 14th century, the word kyndnes, is the conjunction of two root words, kynd and nes, from the Old English. Kynd is translated as “nation” and nes is actually the root for the word “increase or produce”, and in fact, during that same time frame there was what became known as the Law of Kyndes, first written about in a poem by William Langland, and it was defined (paraphrased) as the rule that you see people as being like you and you treat them accordingly.

Later on, through the years, the word evolved to be written as kindenes and was further defined as “a noble deed or courtesy”, but it kept the root term of kin within its meaning, which is defined as “related, one’s family or relation”.

Considering the etymology of the word, what you could extrapolate this out to, when looking at what kindness actually represents as concept, is something deeper than just being nice to another person. It literally means, a nation/group of people that see each other as kin (kindred), as family, as people alike, and therefore they extend noble acts, or courtesies, to one another which subsequently brings about, or produces, increase.

How powerful is that?!

Kindness is first seeing someone through the lens of all that you have in common, in all of the ways you are the same, the ways in which you are kindred spirits…not seeing the differences you might have…then as a result, you naturally and genuinely treat them like family, nobly and with courtesy…which makes you both experience increase, productivity and prosperity!

We could use many serious doses of real KINDNESS, through that definition, in this day and age, could we not?

This, then, is the golden chain that Goethe wrote about. The one that bonds us as a nation, a society, a workplace, a department or team. It’s the invaluable binding that ties us all together…our sameness, our family connection as all belonging to the human race…that should cause us to treat each other honorably, magnanimously! If we were to do that, we would bring increase in things like:

Understanding

Patience

Cooperation

Prosperousness

Mercy

Grace

Forgiveness

Productivity

Abundance

Unfortunately, what we see proven far too much today is that the opposite is also true. When we STOP seeing each other as a nation of people with a multitude of commonalities…as kin, as family…when the Law of Kyndes is no longer the rule, only the exception:

Our increase as a nation is stunted

Our productivity is restricted

Our prosperity is hindered

If you remember nothing else today from this message, remember this: In a very real way, our kindness as a nation is linked to our success and prosperity as a nation.

You can also strip that right down to a personal level and realize that YOUR success in so many facets of life can be directly proportional to your adherence to the Law of Kyndes, to your kindness in the truest sense of the word. How you see and treat people MATTERS.

Do you wish to see an INCREASE in your life?

Then ask yourself if you have taken the golden chain and bound yourself to those all around you in KINDNESS. Are you part of a nation of people that are not looking for the differences, but in all the ways that we are KIN? Do you view everyone through the lens of all that you have in common, not in parsing out all of the things that might separate, or divide you further?

Stop compartmentalizing people, pigeonholing and stereotyping them, quickly but inaccurately making snap assumptions about them or their life…start looking for the gold within everyone that forms a link in the chain that keeps us all connected. Then start treating them as one of a KIND…your kind, my kind, OUR KIND.

That’s kindness at its original essence, the type that brings an abundance of greatest things into the world.

Recognize today that YOU MATTER, and so does the person on your right and left, the people in the grocery store and the restaurant, the ones waiting at the bus stop and in line at the bank. The ones that look like you, and the ones that don’t. The ones that think as you do, and the others that might differ in opinion. We NEED each other…we are kin.

Welcome to the family.

Pick up the golden chain and let’s all pull on it together to bring back our abundance, our increase. Above all today, show someone true KINDNESS…IT MATTERS.