KT Man,
‘Kindness is cool. It lets you experience things you never would have.’ Your ability to exude kindness was remarkable and we’ll cherish this attribute the most. It was the basis of your roll. No one can roll without kindness. A huge dollop of it. You had a full house of it; I think it came from your mom.
It began with your beliefs and judgments, related elements that string together into decisions. Your beliefs were inward and conditional, about action and moving forward. Your belief that you could succeed: As a kid in going pro, as a footballer in playing the game, in applying to programs and succeeding in them. These types of inward beliefs lead to judgements with a warrant; they can be vindicated. They’re so unlike big beliefs, outward and writ large. These big beliefs lead to judgments of people, character, worth, value. Biases in disguise with judgments never warranted. No way to vindicate and never worth it. You would have none of this.
The best part of your kindness was your anticipation. Of others. Next moves. Fitting in. This was all from your mom. You can see it every day in simple ways: holding the door open for someone with their hands full, picking something dropped by someone, moving to another chair to accommodate someone. Notice it’s always about someone. Someone else. No selfies allowed. As a kid growing up, your ability to bring others in was so cool. Always anticipating their fit. It was the basis of friendships. And it went on as you moved out. Whittier. Eugene. Portland. Your anticipation of others led to classmates, then new friends.
So, buddy, it was your kindness that was so cool. It let you experience things you never would have. It opened doors. Let people in. Let you see life through them. We need more of this.
We love you buddy and one day hope to have your kindness.
JT Man
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