How you react when you witness acts of kindness speaks volumes about you.
You watch a YouTube video of a man giving packed meals to homeless people. How kind, yes? Then you think to yourself, “He’s probably only doing this for content, for clout. How much of it is real, though?”
You went on with your day and as you walked towards a store for your daily dose of caffeine, the customer ahead of you held the door and signaled for you to head first while throwing you a smile. You obliged and threw a smile back. Then it made you realize that you just experienced an actual display of kindness, and that pretty much set you in a good mood. What a wonderful world yes?
The truth is that the world we live in is also the culprit for our cynicism. That said, it’s your moral responsibility to break the cycle. It’s contagious, so when you put yourself out there when you face the world, fight it off by spreading positivity. Be kind. You might weird people out, they might think you are faking it like some sort of a social experiment. You might even be laughed at. So be it. Let them react to your kindness the way they want to. More often than not, your kindness will likely challenge them, if not inspire them, to do the same thing. They’re just probably too shy to admit it. You could even jokingly say that negative people are thrice prone to developing dementia, and you don’t want to forget the good things in life and the kindness of people around you.
On a serious note, you may hear people say kindness is overrated. Maybe it is, but would you rather go out there and join the band of agitated human beings? There’s a reason why they say a smile could light up the room because that’s how kindness works. It has the power to make someone’s day better, not just yours.
Never underestimate the small acts of kindness. It’s an attractor for many good things. You end reading this by remembering that when you have the power to spread positivity, you should stop at nothing to do so. Sure, the reason we might have for second-guessing other people’s kindness, including ours, could come from many things and unpleasant past experiences. But little acts of kindness are cherished. They may not be as impactful as you think, but that one instance has a ripple effect. It gets passed on.
It’s the one thing that could spell the difference between a good and a bad day. Offer a smile to a colleague and witness how working together gets lighter. Don’t deprive yourself of the things that make you feel good. Self-serving? I don’t think so. Kindness is a two-way endeavor. You, as the giver, gain something off of that kindness, just like how the recipient gains something from it. After all, isn’t it our goal to increase the sum of kindness in the world? Get rid of your virtue signaling. Go out there and choose kindness, nonetheless. In any situation, be the kind one.
