So many things compete against kindness. The desire for power. The desire to be right. The need to feel important. Lack of thinking our words and actions through and considering how they will make others feel. Almost everything we say or do has an impact on someone else. We should do our best to be cognizant of that fact and act accordingly.
In 2015, I learned a lot about not letting other people’s actions and words determine my worth, my mood, or my value. I am much better at letting things go that aren’t worthy of holding onto. I also learned that telling people the truth about their actions is deeply valuable when done in the correct manner. I have no desire to be placated or pitied. And I don’t want that for others. I’m just saying, sometimes we say and do things that have zero eternal value for us and cause others pain. Let’s just not do those things. And when we unknowingly do them, let’s apologize sincerely and work at making sure we do better the next time.
This living thing is hard. We either get to help people along their journey’s or be the stumbling block. I think we would do well to fall on the helping side.
There are so many things to argue about, disagree with, and defend passionately. These things are important. They are not more important than other people. Like, ever. Okay, if you are hanging around with someone who is harming you or themselves, you get to defend yourself and attempt to show them the light. Today, two students argued violently about what which number the table at which one was sitting is called. It changed nothing, the number of the table changes nothing for them – they were just determined to be right. Seems to me that we do a lot of knock down, drag out fighting, and name calling, and just plain meanness over things that matter less than we think they do. We gossip, we get revenge, we rub people’s faces in things that would break our hearts if it was us. Let’s try just not. Not doing the things that are going to make someone else feel unloved, unimportant, unnecessary. Not do the things that place a burden too big to carry on another person’s shoulders. Not lash out and hurt back.
Instead let’s be kind. Radically, out of the ordinary, over the top kind. Even to people who don’t deserve it. Cause really, we don’t deserve it either – but we sure do want people to be kind to us.
And don’t go thinking it will be easy. That we can just up and be nice and thoughtful just by waking up. It’s a job, really. It requires thought, and effort, and determination. Sometimes, it even turns bad on us. Sometimes people use our kindness against us and feels like crap. Still though, still, kindness wins. Promise.
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