Kindness is disarming

Many years ago, I was unsure whether to learn a foreign language to better communicate with the people I met. I asked my spiritual director for advice, and he told me it wasn't necessary: ​​"You don't need it; you speak with an open heart and make yourself understood." So I understood that there is a way of communicating, that of kindness, that goes beyond words; it's a heart-to-heart exchange that benefits both the giver and the receiver, facilitating encounters and enabling dialogue. Being good isn't the fruit of a natural disposition; rather, it's the consequence of a decision.

I'd like us all to decide, in our hearts, to choose the kindness that disarms in the daily lives of our Arsenals, our homes, and in working together. We know well how difficult relationships are: our personalities often distance us from one another, sometimes we have to defend ourselves from each other's flaws. Thus, without meaning to, we hurt each other.

The kindness that disarms is made of choices that are prepared with countless small, concrete gestures: "thank you" for a kind gesture received, "sorry" for an involuntary slight, a little time to listen to someone, the patience to forgive, the choice of silence instead of inappropriate words... Let's not give ourselves any discounts and try to be attentive to those around us, let's help each other to look beyond our own points of view, because it's not demands that solve our problems! Let's disarm ourselves and help each other disarm.

Ernesto Olivero
Focus
NP January 2026