Does anybody really have a kind and forgiving nature?

That’s a phrase we hear in praise of certain people—“a kind and forgiving nature”—but what makes us think it’s just born in them?

How do we know it’s not the product of a lot of determined effort and practice?

If it were natural, wouldn’t we see the trait in little kids? And do we?

 
(This question has nothing to do with cynical, dishonest behavior masquerading as kindness. Many people are genuinely kind, but it didn’t come naturally. They had to learn it, often at a cost.)