25/09/2025
How many of us have fallen prey to curated kindness, only to have it weaponized later? This deception can manifest in various ways. Perhaps you’ve experienced love-bombing, which is an overwhelming deluge of affection, attention, and care designed to manipulate you later. Or maybe you’ve heard stories of predators who meticulously craft a flawless public image to conceal their harmful actions behind closed doors, leaving others unsuspecting.
Unfortunately, we sometimes encounter ‘tactical kindness,’ which is a carefully constructed facade of niceness that prioritizes personal gain over genuine care and consideration. It’s a performance orchestrated to serve the ego while appearing to serve others. Often, it’s so convincing that it leads others to deny conflicting experiences: “They were kind to me, so they couldn’t possibly have mistreated you.”
The world needs more kindness, but the most authentic expressions of kindness arise from a pure desire to extend love, not to manipulate circumstances for self-serving ends. True kindness is selfless, not ego-driven. Its intention is to uplift and support another’s spirit, not to bolster one’s own image.
Sometimes, it’s hard to spot the difference, and we shouldn’t become too analytical or hypervigilant in our attempts to discern the truth. We must also be cautious not to mistake fear-based responses, stemming from a strong ego or past trauma, for intuition.
Your inner wisdom inherently recognizes authenticity, but accessing this insight requires genuine self-attunement. It demands a regulated nervous system and unwavering self-trust. When you achieve this state, you’ll notice that authentic kindness carries a distinct energy, which resonates differently within you. True kindness neither seeks applause nor demands reciprocation. It is pure, warm, and meets you right at the core of your heart.
Again, this isn’t about becoming cynical or distrusting everyone’s motives. It’s about honing your intuition and listening to that inner voice that can sense the difference between purity and performance. It’s about preserving your peace and honouring others’ experiences, even when they differ greatly from your own.