KINDNESS

“Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” — J.M. Barry

On his last appearance as host of The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien looked directly into the camera and said:
 
“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.”
 
Conan’s words speak to the value of kindness in a world that all too often seems to view kindness as a weakness rather than a strength. But consider this: is it better to show others the way through kindness or through brute force? When we recognize that bullying promotes pain while kindness seeks to heal, the answer becomes clear.
      
We may never know what others are truly going through, for just because someone may offer a smile or a laugh that doesn’t mean they’re not hurting in some way. Whether it’s experiencing financial difficulty, an illness, the death of a loved one, depression, or anything else; when we recognize that everyone is struggling with something it reminds us to always strive to treat others as we would wish to be treated.

The Magic Word Kindness suggests that we find opportunities everyday to sow seeds of kindness. After all, how we treat others can also be viewed as a request for how we wish and expect to be treated in return.  Or as the author Zig Ziglar puts it:
 
“When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others.”
 
REFLECTION
How can you show more kindness to others I your daily life?