The definition of “kindness” is just a short couple of words. Kind·ness /ˈkīn(d)nəs/ noun: definition: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
Just be kind. We hear it all the time, but what does it actually mean? Kindness is one little word, but there’s a whole lot more packed into it.
Now more than ever, there seems to be less friendliness in the world. Unfortunately, this lack of kindness appears to be turning into the norm. Many people are only out for themselves, and not willing to be there for others. At times, it looks like we’ve completely lost our ability to be kind. It’s time to start having each other’s backs and coming together as a community.
In times of disaster, people automatically start to join together. When horrible events like 9-11, the Coronavirus, and wars in Ukraine first took place, people started to be there for each other. The world was turned upside-down just like that, and those events made people realize that there are bigger problems in the world. These wake-up calls opened people’s eyes to just how fragile life is, and how crucial it is to stick together. However, we need to cement this behavior into everyday life, and not only when disaster strikes.
When I was younger, I would often come home and tell my parents stories about something that happened at school, someone who was being mean to me, and random middle or elementary school drama. No matter what, my parents would always formulate the same solutions. They would tell me, “Just be kind, Cadence.” Or, “Kill ’em with kindness.” “Be kind and you’ll go far in life.” After hearing this again and again throughout my life, I’ve started to wonder what it really means to be kind. Kindness; I know there has to be more to it than eight simple letters.
Kindness comes in many forms. Doing volunteer work, making donations, sending a thank you card, or even something as little as holding the door open for someone or giving a stranger a smile can all equal kindness. You never know what someone is going through, and sometimes a small smile could mean a whole lot more to them than you realize.
Make it your goal to brighten someone’s day. Change the world through kindness, one small act at a time. Offer to help people carry things, let others go in front of you in line every once in a while, pick up trash you see in public, start conversations with people around you and ask how their day is going, leave a big tip, say hello to a neighbor, send flowers or cards as thank you’s and do little favors for people that will end up going a long way.
It’s important to simply live your life with kindness. It never hurts to be kind and you’ll never regret it, so what’s the harm? It’s a win-win situation: you make the other person happy, and it makes you happy that you did a nice thing. Kindness is free, now all you have to do is act.
Being kind is a powerful thing. When you perform an act of kindness, you get a rewarding feeling after; a feeling of happiness and fulfillment. The rewarding feeling is worth any trouble you go through.
It’s time to harness the togetherness and kindness we felt toward each other in times of tragedy and bring that behavior into everyday life. Take the extra second to hold the door. Take the extra second to smile at someone. Just be kind.
