As I sit here in my room, the time being 10:25 at night, I can't help but think about this one subject that follows me everywhere. Kindness.

In today's society, it's thought of as stupid to be such a kindhearted person. Now, I'm not saying that everyone thinks this, but please face the facts people: we are part of a rude generation. People look up to others who put people down, and people laugh when others do something that is just plain out mean. But ... why? Why do I see elders who will hold the door open for people, but you don't see younger people do it? Their generation was different; people looked up to the kind people. But now it's all backwards, and it's disturbing to think about it.

I myself am a nice person. I am told this on a regular basis. It could be someone who I know or a random person whom I have never encountered in my life. Now, I know what you are thinking right now ... "Why does that matter? You're probably a suck up. You're probably being fake." That's not right at all. Of all the compliments I could receive, the fact that I am nice or kind are the ones that I want to hear.

A couple of weeks ago I was working. It was around 6:30 at night. A customer walked up to my register and I greeted him. I asked him if he found everything he was looking for, and then continued a conversation by asking him how his day was so far, and so on. By the time I had rang up all of his items, totaled his order and told him his price, we had a full out conversation about his job. I found out that his co-worker received the promotion that he was trying to get. He told me it upset him, but his day had turned around when he went to lunch with his wife, and then he went home to his family that evening and had to run up to the store to get a few things they needed for their home. Before he walked away, he told me that I was another reason his day turned around, because of how nice I was to him. Following this, he told me that he has six daughters and he hopes they act like me when he isn't around them.

Now, where this might not seem like much to you, it meant a lot to me. I was part of the reason his day became better, simply because I was nice. Here's my thing: I'm not a kind person to everyone so I get told stuff like this. I chose to be a kind person because it could make their day better. Everyone is fighting a battle you don't know about, and no matter how a person may seem, a smile or asking how they are could go a long way.

That is why I chose to be kind. Being kind is looked down upon because we're stuck in a generation that sees a lot of bad, so we think that everyone is bad. People can be rude or mean to us, so we think that we have to be rude and mean back. "Treat others how they treat you..." Wrong.

If someone says something that is rude to you, if they make up an awful rumor, if they talk about you behind your back or their actions towards you are just wrong, please do not think you have to get revenge on them by doing something like they did or doing something even worse.

In a previous article, I talked about my issues with bullying. Do I sit around and think about how awful these people treated me? Do I think about something mean I could have said back? No, because I am kind. Kind is the new cute.

Treating someone how they treat me is out of my character, and personally, I think that it should be out of everyone's. But sadly, that's not the case at all. People are rude, people are mean and some people are kind. Being kind is OK, and please do not let the views of our socially messed up generation change your views on that.

Do not let pain make you bitter. Do not let harshness make you hate. Take pride in the fact that even though others disagree, you still think this world is a wonderful place to be.

I can't change the world; Jesus will do that. But I can change the world for one person. Therefore, I will keep loving, one person at a time.

Stay kind, always.