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Some people are naturally kind, generous, and empathetic. For them, doing good is not an event, it is simply part of how they move through the world.

For others, kindness may be less natural. They may be self-interested, emotionally detached, competitive, or primarily concerned with their own needs. Yet, from time to time, they do something remarkably generous.

They help someone in need, make a sacrifice, offer emotional support, or perform an act of kindness that seems inconsistent with their usual behaviour.

The act may be completely genuine. They are not necessarily pretending.

But the kindness can also provide something beyond helping another person. It can give them access to a version of themselves they do not experience very often.

For a moment, they can feel generous. Compassionate. Good.

And perhaps that feeling is part of the reward.

The greater the contrast between their ordinary behaviour and the good deed, the more powerful that experience may become. Someone who is naturally generous may think little of another kind act, but for someone who rarely behaves that way, one generous gesture can become evidence of who they are capable of being.

Sometimes people do not practice kindness because it comes naturally to them, but because they occasionally need to experience themselves as kind.