The reality of man is his thought, not his material body.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 17
There are two types of thoughts, those that remain in the realm of the thinking mind and those that result in action. Of those that do result in some form of action, a portion of them may be characterised as kind and guided by empathy. The practice of thoughtfulness is to increase the amount of time before acting, use careful consideration and honesty to direct one's actions. The result ought to be more loving and kind actions in the world. In a world of rash decisions, instant gratification and general busyness, it really takes a concerted effort to find time to move beyond our own self-centeredness. This takes intention and purpose with thoughts of selflessness being the centre around which thoughtfulness may flow. When we care for a friend, or an acquaintance and attend to their needs this may form part of this category. It is where we are able to hone our skills in strengthening being observant and considerate. It extends beyond this sphere too, toward those who need our thoughtfulness and may not even know it. To be thoughtful for thoughtfulness sake. As the holiday time rolls around we see this in abundance as people have a greater sense of good will toward their fellow human beings and more and more people look around in their communities to contribute financially or give of their time to initiatives that have this outward looking vision. When we look at a life lived with this as its very centre, we see an example of a soul that spared no thought on Himself but always looked out for the wellbeing of others. It was how His day was organised. `Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of the Covenant, attended to the sick, the poor, the downtrodden, everyday. His family knew that His afternoons were always spent in this way and when he traveled to the West, He made time to bring joy and a little material warmth to those communities which were poor. This degree of thoughtfulness is the example that we have before us to strive toward. When we think in this way we are able to spread happiness all year round.
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