As you walk through your journey in life you will come across many people. You may only really get to know a few people in your life. Compared to our population, this is a drip in a big ocean. Right now, I am trying to explain to close people around me that anger, evil and retribution loves anger, evil and retribution. Kindness however is a far more powerful force.
Remember that when you see an individual passing you on the street, you know nothing of him/her. She may have just lost her father, mother or brother. He may have lost his job. She may have had an awful childhood. He may have found out he is terminally ill. She may be going through a horrible, life changing experience and he may be having a midlife crisis. Her child may be in a War Torn Area. She may be broke and he may be in pain. Her parents might have taught her to hate. His family may have passed on their prejudices.
Why can’t we be try and be nice? Being nice does not mean you need to be walked all over, never state your opinion or allow people to mistreat you. It really does not take that much energy either. If you are walking through a door, wait one second to see if someone is behind you. If you see two friends at a bar, move over so they can sit together. If a young child is dying to tell you something, just listen.
Once I found out about a terrible loss during a business trip. I was devastated and it was hard to get it together. An extremely kind lady asked me what was wrong so I told her. Amazingly enough, she went through the exact same thing – finding out her news in of all places an airport. This stranger stood next to me in the ladies room and quietly handed me tissues. She then declared, with wonderful strength, “You’re going to be OK kid. What gate are you flying out of? Life moves forward … you don’t want to miss your flight!” She proceeded to walk right by me, delivering me to the gate and said, “I’m sorry for your loss, it will get better with time.” How very nice was that?
