“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
First of all, I’d like to congratulate the robot who coined that phrase, because they obviously don’t have human feelings, thoughts, or emotions. For a human like myself, functioning as a real person means being exposed to the harsh realities of the world. Sometimes those realities are other people, ones who don’t consider the value of kindness.
Our thoughts and actions dictate how we perceive everyone around us. One simple act of kindness is when a person is clearly walking behind someone and they hold the door open. If someone, unbeknownst to you, is having a miserable day, the last thing they want is to put up with other people’s bullshit. Things like holding the door, giving a simple compliment, or even just saying “sorry” and “excuse me” can be the difference between making someone’s day better or making it ten times worse.
Take into consideration that everyone is going through their own highs and lows. That girl who sits next to you in your English class could look especially unfriendly today because her grandfather passed away yesterday. The boy who sits behind you in your math class might have an anxiety disorder, so not knowing how to do basic algebra stresses him to the extreme. The point is that you don’t know what’s going on at any given time in everyone’s personal lives and that’s totally normal. It’s not okay to ignore or disregard people because you don’t know them. We all deserve to be treated well, even if it seems tedious to take the time or put in the effort.
Every ounce of kindness counts.
