Dear 2017, Please Be Kinder | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Dear 2017, Please Be Kinder

We have the opportunity to change this coming year.

24
Dear 2017, Please Be Kinder
gokennebunks

I hope that with 2016's end we think about what this coming year will be. I want so much from 2017, though, not just for myself but for everyone. I know 2017 will only be a better year if we choose to at least try and be a better version of ourselves. I don’t want us to let it down. We have the opportunity to change this coming year.

Now, I know I can’t control what others do; however, I can control what I do. I want this year to be when things change, but I can’t control how other people act. I can’t make people be nicer or kinder humans. I can only control how I act and how I respond. I can only decide how I choose to treat people in 2017. What I choose to say.

I wish that in 2017 people would think before they speak especially before they type. I wish we’d really think about the impact our words have on others. That we’d make sure we have all the facts and have looked at every side before stating an opinion. We need to learn to be more careful. A word said in the heat of a moment doesn’t just last for that moment but forever. I’m tired of the mean, hateful, unnecessary words used only to make others feel bad, and I hope others will feel this way too in 2017.

I wish we’d be kinder and not make our lives solely about ourselves and the bubble of people around us. That we’d extend ourselves to those who really need it. Being nice is far easier than being mean or catty. Being nice isn’t something you just do when it’s easy but something you should do all the time. No matter how someone else is acting, in 2017 we should remember to respond with kindness.

I hope 2017 is the year that squads and cliques stop being so exclusive. I wish 2017 is the year where we start being more inclusive. That we stop measuring our worth by being exclusive and trying to lift ourselves up by putting others down. We should remember that we don’t have to make others feel small in order to feel good about ourselves.

In 2017, I choose to be kind, to think before I speak, and to put others before myself. My new year’s resolutions are to surround myself with the people who make my heart happy. It’s to say goodbye to those who try to be negative and pull everyone else down to their level. And to stop the complaining because I am tired of it. It’s exhausting and unnecessary. I hope that 2017 isn’t just the year of change but the year where we each decide to change.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

463614
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

340650
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments