We are so obsessed with doing
that we have no time
and no imagination left
for being.
As a result,
men are valued
not for what they are
but for what they do
or what they have –
for their usefulness.
Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
(Emphasis mine)
Although sometimes what a man has
— homemade shortbread sent for a birthday —
is because of who he is
and not because of what he has done.
While he has done a lot in his life,
more importantly he has been
kind,
loving, and
generous.
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
I don’t know, being kind involves doing. Perhaps only doing in way that brings in money or gives power is what “counts” in our culture.
http://www.findingeliza.com
I think you’re right. True kindness isn’t self-serving. It’s focus isn’t on what can I get, but rather what can I give.
A happy birthday to him.