Why Bother Be Kind?
Is it just a waste of time?
This piece is in response to Ali Hall’s mission to spread a ripple of kindness into this world.
I hope my contribution will help to change the hearts and minds of people who do not see the value in being kind to others.
Life has been difficult for us all in the last few years and it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters.
We can get so focused on looking after ourselves that we forget the most vulnerable.
Let’s try to treat others as we would like to be treated.
“In my mission to spread more kindness into this world, I need your help. I have created a publication here on Medium. Yes, you guessed it, it’s called Spread the Ripple and kindness is our superpower.”
— Ali Hall
Kindness is probably one of the most powerful virtues there are. I always look for kindness in my relationships.
The thing I love about kindness is you can’t fake it.
When someone treats you with genuine kindness, you know you have been touched by love.
But, when people fake it, something feels off.
As children, we have to learn how to be kind, but once it takes root, it becomes part of our character.
Kindness is not as simple as it seems.
When you break it down, you can see what a rich and powerful virtue it is.
What does kindness consist of?
- Gentleness
- Thoughtfulness
- Humility
- Understanding
- Mercy
- Compassion
- Courage
- Patience
- Love
- Grace
- Forgiveness
Do you agree? Can we be genuinely kind and not possess these positive traits too?
We live in a very aggressive society today. People think self-love means putting themselves above others. The survival of the fittest mentality.
Well, that definition of self-love couldn’t be further from the truth, because the purpose of self-love is to nurture ourselves enough to be of service to others.
Can a worn-out person give anything of value to another? Not at all.
A person who quietly takes care of themselves has time and energy to love others.
Kind people know this. They know their limitations and give what they can.
Why be kind?
To build a better world — Ali is a great example of this. She sees that our world needs more love and kindness, so she has decided to do something about it. This is love in action.
Because it’s loving — there’s so much talk about love in the world, but most of it is not love at all. It’s based on the idea that if you scratch my back, I will scratch yours.
That’s not loving. It’s transactional. True love and kindness are given freely, with no strings attached.
It’s God's way — God's ways are not our ways. God is kind to evil people. He even shows mercy to the wicked.
It feels good for the giver and receiver — it is more of a blessing to give than receive.
It shows you care — many people say I love you, but their actions say another thing.
It makes people feel special — why wait for someone to make you feel special, why not be the one to give first?
You could brighten up a person’s day — some people are secretly depressed or carrying a heavy burden.
It could be grief, failure, they could be in an abusive relationship, struggling financially, they could have a loved one who is sick, or they themselves could be sick, or even dying.
So, show a little kindness, you could save a life, or at least brighten up someone’s day.
It heals broken hearts — when I was depressed, it was the kindness I received from others that healed me.
When I was at my lowest, my awareness was heightened and I could spot fakeness a mile away.
During that period, I was able to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Kindness is good and will drive out evil— goodness overcomes evil.
Never grow weary in doing good for you will reap a reward at the appointed time.
Good people are kind— your behavior tells people who you are.
Some people try to pretend to be kind to get what they want, but people can always sense insincerity and resent it.
Final thoughts —
Kindness matters because it can help to heal our broken world.
We can only make the world a better place, one person at a time.
What type of person do you want to be?
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”
Below is another piece I wrote on the topic of kindness. It was in response to Sahil Patel’s poetry challenge:
This story was brought to you by Spread the Ripple. We are a publication dedicated to kindness. Kindness is our superpower. Read more stories and come and write with us here: