Have you had any experiences with dogs? Anybody who gets close to where other people live will become aware of their four-footed family members at times.

Suppose you have known some dog that trusted you and enjoyed you touching and stroking its back. Will it be wise to conclude that just any other dog at any time will happily accept this kind of treatment from you? To some dogs you may be but a stranger who ought not to intrude into their realm.

Honestly at times I do compare dogs and people. I feel dogs and people have much in common. Not all dogs will react just in the same way if you approach them. People may have different feelings about what you do or say to them as well.

Again I am dealing with kindness. “Love is kind.” (1 Corinthians 13:4/NIV)

It seems to me that kindness is not an absolute term. I feel it is relational.

You may find kind words to happy and healthy youths. However, if you speak to seriously sick or disabled individuals in exactly the same manner, your words to them may not sound altogether blissful.

By your words you may make certain people happy. Yet quite possibly others will react quite differently if you address them in just the same way.

Kindness requires that you be aware of the other individual. Your behaviour may not be perceived as kind unless you can relate to somebody’s feelings.

Naturally we cannot know everything about all men and woman we meet. But how are we using the scant information that is available to us?

Do we respect and appreciate the other? If we at heart should despise another, supposedly kind words may still be an unpleasant experience to him or her.