In his book, The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield offers this bit of wisdom:
Krishna instructed Arjuna: “We have a right to our labor, but not to the fruits of our labor.”
And while I understand what that means when it comes to work, I think I’ve also figured out how it applies to our relationships. We have a right to treat others with kindness, but not to the fruits of our kindness–meaning, kindness in return.
That’s been an assumption I’ve been making for too long; expecting to be treated with the same kindness as I treat others. I finally realized that I’ve been going about it all wrong. We should be kind to each other for kindness’s sake–without expecting it in return. I need to keep remembering that.