Kindness Is The New Cool

"Happiness is the new rich.
Inner peace is the new success.
Health is the new wealth.
Kindness is the new cool."

- Syed Moiz Balkhi

These thoughts rings so true with us here at The Paper Seahorse. How about you? COVID has taught us to focus on what is really important, like when we were a little kid. We did not know about material things and cash. Or even firsthand meanness. Hopefully all you knew were simple things; playing, loving parents and that every day was going to be a new adventure.
 
As an adult, and having to do “adulting” things, we forget to have balance and play. We overlook having freedom in thought that anything is possible. The only thing holding us back is us. Our judgements and labels, our thoughts and fears.
 
We dare you to allow yourself to be as rich, cool and successful as Syed says above. It just starts with a new framework. Throw out what you knew before. We give you permission to have the life you have always wanted. Starting right now.

And now my personal perspective on making kindness the new cool:

New stamps arrived today. The USPS is honoring three Asian Americans this year. This one is Chien-Shiung Wu, a Chinese Asian who is considered to be one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century. ⁠ ⁠

It is quite interesting to me that these two came on the same day. As an Asian-American, I do not really think of myself that way until someone points it out...where are you from? where where you born? Or recently, have you been attacked? Do you feel safe? It is weird for me to think about these things. ⁠ ⁠

I was adopted at 3 weeks old in Taipei, Taiwan. My parents brought me to the Us when I was old enough to travel at 8 months. I was naturalized at 2 1/2. My parents are from Georgia here in the USA. When I was growing up my mom told me I was all Taiwanese and all American. I am both of these things. However I feel more American since I did not grow up with Taiwanese culture or traditions. As an adult I do identify with some elements of Asia and I ponder nature vs nurture alot. ⁠

It saddens me that there has been terrorism and violence against Asians here in the US. There are apparently those that think that will make them feel better about the situation. Violence and hatred achieve nothing but spreading more of that same energy. There are many ethnicities that are all that and all American. Blended and simply human. The US is a melting pot and the world is pretty much soup now. Can't we all get along? ⁠

Kindess is the new cool. Check in and see if you have been raised with any biases, how can you make positive change? What can you do right now to help raise the collective vibration? When we all lift one another up we all win. 

Yours in Paper Seahorse goodness, 

Tona