Let's Spread Kindness
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Politics and Activism

Let's Spread Kindness

We will live in the "America" that so many people, including myself, are afraid of if we allow for the hate to continue.

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Let's Spread Kindness
Teen Vogue

This week has been a tough one. For everyone, no matter who you voted for. Seeing our brothers and sisters hurting does enough to make us hurt too. Because of this, a lot of hate has been put out in the universe. It has been on Facebook, around campus, even within our own houses. It is a tough time, we all get it. But instead of spreading hate, let's spread kindness.

Mourning and grieving is understandable and valid. This is an INCREDIBLY tough time for some people. A type of tough that I know I will never be able to understand and I thank God every day for that. But lashing out, turning on our friends, hating others, or doing acts that are just plain mean are unacceptable. From either side. Whether it is from someone who is jumping for joy because Trump won or someone who is still trying to cope with Clinton's loss and the realities that come with it, hate and anger are unacceptable. Calling people names or being cruel to groups of people because of things that they identify with, like POC, LGBTQ+, being Jewish, or Christian, or even being a Democrat or a Republican is downright wrong. Y'all realize that there is not a set of "rules" that one must follow to be part of one of those communities, right? Just because someone is Republican doesn't mean they voted for Trump just like how someone who identifies as a Christian doesn't mean they hate all who aren't one.

This is too tough of a time to be spreading more hate than this world already has. So let's spread kindness.

Open the door for a stranger, thank the worker at the cafeteria, let someone cut you off on the road. All of those are acts of kindness. Give some extra change to a homeless person, buy someone a coffee, tell someone they look nice that day or that you like their shoes. All of those are acts of kindness. Give a hug to a sister you see upset in the living room. Hell, give a hug to a stranger you see upset in the hallway. Because those little acts of kindness can change someone's day.

They really can, and we all know that.

I will never forget one of these acts of kindness I had my senior year of high school. I was having a terrible day. Like, TERRIBLE. I was having issues with my car, I was having boy drama (of course), and I was stressed beyond belief from school work and college applications (oh, what a fun time!). My days started at 5 AM every morning and didn't end until about 11 PM at night when I would get home to start my homework and start all over again just a few hours later. Needless to say, this was a tough time of life.

But one morning I woke up, went out to my car, and found a note on it. First thought I had was that it was going to be something mean and terrible and that it would just make this time even worse, but it wasn't. "Hey. Hey YOU. You are awesome and you got this!"

To this day, I still don't know who it was. I don't know whether it was a friend, a stranger, a neighbor, or my mom, but that note really did help me finish the year strong. I kept it in my backpack and whenever I needed a little pick me up, I would just read that and feel so much better. It was a random act of kindness that I have no clue what the source is, but it is something that would just make me feel so much better sometimes.

It is little things like that that can change everything. It is little things like that that will cause a ripple effect. Those little acts of kindness will turn into big acts of kindness and those big acts of kindness will turn into love. And they will help us get through this tough time.

It is a tough time. I get it, trust me, I get it. I see my sisters crying in the living room and I want to cry with them. It breaks my heart to see them hurting. It breaks my heart to see my campus hurting. It breaks my heart to feel the atmosphere of campus shift. And it breaks my heart to know that we as a country are currently walking into the unknown on eggshells, but there is one thing I know. We will not get anywhere if the hate continues. We will live in the "America" that so many people, including myself, are afraid of if we allow for the hate to continue.

So be the bigger person. Don't get caught up in the Facebook drama. If you see something uncool happening, reach out to the person and talk to them about it. Don't call them out publicly online, don't call them names, don't accuse them of anything. We are all on different walks of life and no one has more right than others right now to be mean or hurtful, no matter who you voted for. Reach out to them in person, ask to chat, offer to take them to coffee. Listen to them, respond to them, educate them, and let them educate you a little too. You never know, you could agree with some points of the other side. And if you don't, then agree to disagree and walk away. I'm not saying we all need to agree on everything or completely understand why some people have some points of view, but the hate and cruel acts that are downright mean are completely unacceptable.

If you need time, then take time. If you need to scream and shout and let it all out, then do it. Take care of yourselves, do what is best for YOU. But please don't take it out on others. We are all struggling right now, no matter which way you look at it. And this world is too fucked up right now to be turning on each other, so let's spread what we all know we need more of right now. Let's spread kindness.

Our world is changing. Our country is changing. Some think for the better, some think for the worst. But as Morgan Freeman once said, "[we change the world with] one random act of kindness at a time." So get out there and be the change. Start the change NOW.

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