Be Kind

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the following:

Kindness: the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate

Generous: showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected.

Considerate: careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to others.

Fake: not genuine; counterfeit

Genuine: truly what something is said to be; authentic

I’ve been having a hard time with understanding why simply being kind in a situation is so difficult for many people.  In a conversation recently, a friend said to me that she feels that by being kind in a situation with someone she doesn’t really care for makes her fake.  So, to not be fake she, in turn, is just flat out rude or “reading” the person by letting them know she doesn’t care for them.  Personally, I don’t get it. I believe there is a way to say all things in a way that is kind and I don’t think that is being fake.

If you know who you are as a person and you find yourself sharing space with someone you may not particularly care for, what’s the harm in simply excusing yourself and going about your business?

I don’t know.  I certainly do not have all of the answers but it just seems to me that as an educator my work in some ways is counterproductive.  I spend all day teaching my students to accept and respect the differences of others, to hold the door for the person behind them, to keep negative or nasty comments to themselves and to find a positive way to tell a classmate that he or she is getting on their nerves.  Yet, our society, in many ways, seems to be doing the exact opposite of what I’m attempting to teach.

It really bothers me when people tell me I’m too nice.  I don’t think there is a such thing.  When I wake up in the morning I get to make the decision about how my day is going to be.  It is my attitude that will determine how I project into the world around me.  I can choose to be happy.  I can choose to be sad and depressed or I can choose to take each person as they come with an attitude of seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I think if we all practiced a small level of kindness throughout our day, we’d be truly suprised by the positive effect it will not only have on us but also on those around us.

John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you 

#Hope #Kindness #Love