Kindness puts you before me
You before me
Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
You might ask yourself why would you want to be kind, considerate, or friendly to people you don’t know or like.
Well, being kind offers several benefits, both for yourself and others.
Being kind can build your self-esteem by making you feel good about yourself.
Being kind can better and build new relationships with your peers, family, and friends.
Being kind can positively impact someone’s day and self-perception.
Nicole Thompson said, “Everyone has something they’re going through, and one act of kindness can save their life.”
Acts of kindness are not hard and often do not require much planning; they include simple actions like verbally encouraging others, leaving a note of positive affirmation in someone’s book, opening the door for someone, or sitting with a newcomer at lunch.
Hanna Brown said, “Little actions such as filling in someone who’s missed class the day before is a way you can show kindness”.
But what does it really mean to be kind? Kindness is so much more than what the dictionary definition says.
Kindness is always putting others before yourself, even if you don’t think they deserve it.
Kindness is about noticing a person and deciding how you can make that person’s day better.
Kendall Holland said, “ You can change someone’s day by complimenting their outfit or their abilities, and by doing so you can encourage them to be the best that they can be.”
Kindness takes a variety of forms.
Kindness can be meekness. Meekness is when you know that your the best at throwing the football, but you don’t rub it in people’s faces. Meekness is power under control.
Kindness can be consideration and respect of differences.
Every day we hear people being ruthless towards others about politics, religion, values, and sports teams.
You can be passionate about your beliefs, likes, and dislikes. But just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean you have to be brutal about it.
Instead, be kind to the people you don’t agree with. Acknowledge their different perspective as valuable because they, as fellow people, are valuable.
Kindness is different than being nice. Nice is being friendly or civil. Being kind is caring for others and showing that you care for them.
Every day when we wake up we have the choice to be kind; in doing so, we can inspire others to show kindness in turn.