"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

It's safe to say we've all been reminded of this "golden rule" countless times. It's also safe to say that there is a reason this is the golden rule.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

This statement goes hand-in-hand with the golden rule. All my life, I've been reminded to zip my mouth shut if nice words weren't coming out of it. You wouldn't want others being unkind to you, so don't be unkind to them.

I regularly observe my peers and their negativity toward other humans, though. Of course, I am guilty of it too. We all are. I often wonder why we as humans waste our time on such childish, inhumane behavior.

The girl you bashed for being overweight has a serious eating disorder. The kid from school does wear the same outfit every day, which his mom could barely afford. The "awkward" girl at your work suffers from severe anxiety. And you? You're only making fun of these innocent souls to feel better about yourself.

Humans. Either way you cut the cake, we are all humans — trying to live our lives, and most likely as peacefully as possible. All that's going on in the world, and most unnerving to me may simply be how difficult it seems for the human race to follow the golden rule.

We can't end war. We can't end discrimination. We can't end hunger or suffering.

We can smile, though. We can compliment one another. We can give thanks and affirmation.

We have so much power as individuals to impact one another with kindness. Who knows? Maybe remaining silent rather than being hateful and discriminatory will prevent a violent outbreak, like last week's in Orlando. Or maybe, just maybe substituting kindness for hate will cure hate in another's heart. Regardless, don't waste precious time on hate when God gave you such a beautiful smile.