Kindness or Knowledge?

  One thing I have observed in myself recently is that I judge myself for not having a lot to say on topics that interest my friends. I will often accuse myself of being vacuous or simply not having the same concern for things that others do. But I have begun to wonder, what is more important: being knowledgeable or being kind? Can one be kind without being knowledgeable about topics that concern others? 

   We even have a term called knowledge economy, which suggests that knowledge is what drives us, but we have hardly heard of the term "heart economy" or "kindness economy". Is this perhaps because we don't think that kindness contributes to our world as much as knowledge does? I think, to the contrary, that kindness can allow us to be more present toward the other and find a common ground even when another person does not share the same interests as we do. After all, the term "kind" seems to derive from "kindred" which suggests a kind of innate link that we have with others. 

  Sometimes, I have to have faith that simply being present is enough to help another heal in deep ways, which transcends the idea that interactions are only about knowledge exchanges.