@philosophyminis: The sun's out, the coffee tastes good and you wave at somebody across the road, and you think, I'm a nice guy, I'm a great guy. Well, according to C. S. Lewis, you might not be, you might just be in a good mood. In his book The Problem of Pain, Lewis tries to work out why it is that so few people want to become better. Because we rarely see ourselves as being flawed, and part of his answer is because we always see ourselves as being kind. For Lewis, it is fatally easy to call ourselves kind because everybody feels warm and generous towards the world when nothing happens to be annoying them. We laugh easily and we help others, we see ourselves as good when the sun is shining, and it's easy to share with others when we have everything that we need. As Lewis puts it, we think we are kind only when we are happy. Now imagine somebody called Gareth. Gareth would tell you that he's a kind person. He cries at adverts, he tips well and he's never been in a fight in his life. But when his neighbour needed a lift to the hospital, he said he was just too busy, and when his sister needed help with the rent, he said, ‘Oh, it wasn't a good time.’ Gareth isn't cruel, but his kindness never actually cost him anything. He never had to try to be kind. Of course, Lewis isn't saying that good moods are bad or that happy people can't be kind, but his point is that it's easy to be kind when things are going well. Anybody can be generous when you are already affluent. The test of kindness comes when, at six o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday, when you are tired and struggling, that you still turn out to help somebody else. You only know that you are a truly kind person when the cards are down and life isn't already going your way.

M.S.M. :

What if I become the kindest version of myself when I feel weak?

vuki :

morality entirely depends on your emotions and how they make you feel so it makes sense

550353 :

Ate me up there ngl

Beastt4454 :

“according to C.S. Lewis you might not be”

The Shirtless Photographer :

Some can't appreciate this truth. 😒

φοῖνιξ phoinix :

my garden does not face the road, thank heavens, I couldn't digest another humans small talk on a good day, not to mention before coffee haha

Pehnny :

Like I often say lately "nobody wants to be the bad guy", it's why communists rejects voluntarism to make society. Good will is not enough.

Kimhorns :

A virtue is not a virtue if it has not been tested !

noheeeheee :

I love your content

Vaniagato :

100% me 😂 but I’m aware I’m not always good/kind and try my best to be better

andreea :

within limits,it's ok to say no once in a while

Maniken :

love your videos!

Geraldo's Roadtrip Diaries :

I look forward to your videos everyday 😊

°•×selinו° :

but what is a nice person? to me it might mean something and to someone else something diffrent

GoldenWolf99 :

Basically, be like Charlie Bucket! 🍫

George :

So true...

habeeb_temi :

Great piece there...👏

changey ♡ :

True!

w :

The burdenson :

Ooosht

rumour_weed :

That makes sense because I’m in chronic pain and I always see the world negatively and I don’t view myself as kind

DB Air :

I cry in adverts

PlaneGay :

people aren't always self conscious? makes sense.

Zalardin :

Charsi Scorpio :

Real af my brain better be taking notes you fraud