The Importance Of Being Kind | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

The Importance Of Being Kind

Because we should be the change we want to see in the world.

81
The Importance Of Being Kind
rebloggy.com

One of the things my mother always taught me was the importance of being kind to others. Empathy, compassion, manners and overall not being a rude, mean person are all things that I can remember my mother instilling in me as early as I can remember. It's something that's stuck with me for the past 20 years. It pains me to be rude to someone and if I think I hurt someone's feelings, I practically die a little inside.

A lot of times I feel like being kind is starting to become a lost art. People don't say please or thank you or will let a door slam in your face when you have your hands full. They'll pick you apart and make fun of you, or talk about you on social media. They'll cut you in line or they'll answer you when you ask how they are but don't bother to ask how you are. They'll lie, steal and cheat.

However, I think it's very important -- if not the most important -- to be kind when facing people who aren't so kind. Maybe they're having a bad day or maybe they're just a bad apple. Regardless, show them the mercy, kindness and love that you would appreciate seeing should you be having a bad day and need a break.

One thing I never understood was when people said they would start treating people how they are treated. For one this completely goes against "the golden rule" of "treat others how you would want to be treated" that we learned when we were younger ... but why would you want to let someone else dictate your behavior? Your character?

Being kind to someone who has been cruel to you is not a poor reflection of your character or a weakness -- no, it is a strength and a reflection of that strength. For example, Matthew 5:39 says:

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

Should you let people walk all over you? No, you shouldn't. But going out of your way to be nasty to someone is so much more effort, in my opinion, than simply showing love and mercy. And isn't that what we're all supposed to be doing here, anyway?

Kindness can come in many shapes and sizes, from as simple as holding a door open when someone's hands are full, to paying their dinner tab and beyond. True kindness is colored in a way that there is no expectation for anything in return. Being kind is the right thing to do, even if we are not treated kindly in return.

When I was in high school and showed kindness to someone a lot of people did not deem worthy, I was asked, "Why are you nice to them?" I simply told anyone that asked that I wanted to be remembered as someone who was kind instead of being remembered as someone who acted ugly and rude.

Life in general, to me, is so much easier when you show nothing but love, mercy, forgiveness and kindness. I don't carry around any grudges or anger, which I think can weigh people down tremendously. There is no hate in my heart, but only love, and I want to share that with the world.

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

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300435
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments