There are many benefits of turning a negative conversation into a more positive encounter. For example: a line of impatient customers waiting to buy coffee, each one in a hurry. The server pleasantly greets each patron, completes their order and sends them on their way with a smile. Little acts of kindness that others show throughout their day can sometimes have a drastic impact on the attitude of passer bys. I believe in kindness.
I have had many instances in my life where I have found that by others showing kindness towards me, my day has been brightened. Sometimes kindness can be very menial things which in turn have a major impact on a person’s day. For example, when someone holds a door open for me or allows me in front of them while in traffic, those little things help to brighten my day, and can sometimes change my attitude from an upset state to less frustrated one. Also at school many people just saying hello while passing by in the hallway just give a bit of joy to your lives and whatever hardship you were dealing with temporarily goes away because of this act of kindness. Kindness is something that I try to show in every area of my life, being kind to others just helps me to have a more positive attitude.
I believe people today do not show enough kindness to others. Our society is self centered; we only look to do things that better us in the long run instead of looking out for others and showing them kindness. We become very upset if people are rude to us, but instead of turning that rudeness into kindness we tend to keep the angry and selfish attitude, spreading it to other people. People need to look back to historic times and what they will find is that even though people had problems then, they still dealt with others in a respectful and kind manner. They did not allow their problems to decide their attitude. We need to remember that being kind is the opposite of being selfish. If we as a society looked out for others there would be less crime which would lead to a better overall environment. This brings to mind a story my Dad told me. One day my Dad had to stop and get gas in a bad part of Houston, while filling his car he was getting something out of the trunk. A person screamed out to my Dad to look out and as he stood up he saw a man that was about to hit him over the head with a tire iron. This act of kindness by a complete stranger helped not only to save my father from getting his car stolen but could have also saved his life. The acts of kindness that people show do have an impact on those around them. We as a nation need to stop caring only about our needs and learn to make others needs just as important as our own.
The topic of kindness has many universal applications. Just a cheerful attitude and a little respect can drastically change the way people react. I think Mother Teresa summarized kindness best when she said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” A smile is contagious and a can have an impact far beyond the simple gesture.
Acts of kindness, big or small, contribute to each of our lives. Doing and receiving kindness creates a more positive environment. We can affect those around us by doing/not doing act of kindness. We should try to be a part of the kind spirit of humanity. Kindness is something that transcends all nations, races and languages. The simple act of a kind smile can relieve, if only for a second, the suffering of a child or comfort a grieving adult. For a moment there is a connection between people which does not need words.
Some things we can do in this world to make it a more enjoyable and happy place take very little work on our part. You should always strive to be kind to everyone you meet. Kindness is something that is easy to do and can give great benefits to the world around you.
And if all else fails remember the old saying “ Smile, it improves the value of your face!”