The world is full of love and pity. Had there been less suffering, there would have been less kindness.

Kindness comes into existence because something needed it. Almost every tender act you can think of is a response to a lack, a loss or a difficulty, which means the amount of care in the world is shaped by the amount of trouble in it. That is not a justification for the trouble, and nobody should be grateful for their own hard luck. It is simply where kindness comes from.

When you are struggling, letting someone help is not a burden you are placing on them. And when you notice a difficulty in somebody else’s life, treat it as the opening it is and do the small, specific thing.