A few weeks ago, I was reading a book. While that idea in itself is not shocking, I came across a line that really made me stop and think. "While she was not nice, she was kind."

Much like the rest of the population, I always considered the two traits to be synonymous. However, after some introspective thought, I realized that they were not mutually exclusive.

Like our dear friend Bernadette here, "niceness" is an idea that is universally applicable. Also like Bernadette, we should be tired of that. If you Google the definition of "nice," you will get words such as "pleasant" or "agreeable." I'm fond of the synonym "politically correct." While all of those traits are good things to be, they can also be extremely exhausting. They also seems to be incredibly insincere and self-serving. If I'm being "nice," it's because I don't want to be yelled at, not because I value my fellow human being's feelings.

Kindness seems to be the better trait overall. Professor Google prefers the definition: "the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate." I would rather someone describe me as considerate rather than agreeable. Being kind requires you to be compassionate, not for your own sake, but for someone else's.

We've had the Golden Rule beaten into our very souls since day one, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that. We've always been told to treat others the way that we want to be treated. Our interpersonal responses have always been self-serving. It's time to start treating people like they have valid feelings. It's time to recognize that how you treat someone says more about you than words ever could.

It's time to stop being nice and start being kind.