Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

I am a new member to the group and just wanted to introduce myself (see

below).

 

Wishing you blessings for all good things,

 

-Shmuel Greenbaum

 

Coping With Tragedy

Fighting Terror With Kindness

 

By Shmuel Greenbaum

info

 

Kindness has been my personal response to terror. My wife, Shoshana, was

murdered by a suicide bomber. She was one of over 100 victims that were killed

or injured on August 9, 2001 at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem.

 

Sometimes I wonder whether telling my story can really help others. Since, the

way I am coping with tragedy is so different than the norm, would anyone else

understand it?

 

Many of the rabbis that came to visit me told me a story about a carpet.

" Sometimes you only see the knots on the back, " they said; " Only later do you

see the beautiful design on the front. " I thanked them for coming and explained

that I see the beautiful design now. I see the " big picture. "

 

I have always been interested in the " big picture " – in how to make the world

better. Since I was a kid, I always liked to tackle these big problems by

assembling a group of experts to solve them. As a teenager I designed a system

to tap hydroelectric power from the wastewater of apartment buildings. I

contacted a local engineering school and assembled a team of academicians to

prepare the plan for the US Department of Energy.

 

After my wife’s violent murder, I began a project to teach people how to be

kinder. The project has just started to take off. At the moment, we have more

than 20,000 rs on six continents to our " Daily Dose of Kindness "

e-mail. Everyone who signs up for this e-mail list is also automatically signed

up as an advisor. As I said before, I like having many advisors. Right now, I

have over 20,000 " Kindness advisors " .

 

Last week, one of my Kindness advisors sent me an e-mail link to an article in

the New York Times about how medical researches have found that acts of kindness

stimulate the brain in the same place that physical pleasures do. So now medical

researchers have shown that doing kindness causes enjoyment. From this you can

see one way that I cope with tragedy – I receive tremendous pleasure by

promoting kindness.

 

My favorite author on kindness is Zelig Pliskin. In his book Kindness, he

presents eighty-five techniques to find new opportunities to do kindness by

improving yourself and improving the world around you. In one chapter he

explains how you can feel the thrill of an international sports victory every

day if you visualize 100,000 people applauding for you and cheering you on when

you do an act of kindness. Studies have shown that our hormonal system has

actual biochemical responses even though the victory is totally a figment of our

imagination.

 

Shortly after my wife’s death, I prayed with great intensity to G-d to help me

to make the world better. From the feedback I am getting from my kindness

projects, it is clear that my prayers are being answered and that I am helping

to make the world a little kinder – one person at a time. This feeling of Divine

assistance combined with the biochemical responses to my imagined victory has

given me tremendous emotional strength.

 

 

Join Us!

Be a " Partner In Kindness. "

Visit our websites:

 

English:

http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org (Daily Jewish e-mail)

http://www.PartnersInKindness.org (Weekly Non-Sectarian e-mail)

 

French:

Potentiel_de_Bonte (Weekly e-mail)

 

Spanish:

http://espanol.LapracticadelaBondad/ (Weekly e-mail)

 

Portuguese:

http://br.ParceirosNaBondade/ (Weekly e-mail)

 

 

 

Shmuel's Speaking Engagements

 

Boston

* April 28 – May 1

 

If you would like to do a very easy, but powerful act of kindness, forward this

e-mail to friends and relatives. If you know of any groups that are interested

in having me speak, I don't charge a fee, other than travel from New York (if I

am not already in the area).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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