Reasons to be kind

I often like to reflect on my actions and words and why I do them--mainly emphasizing on how I treat others. What is the reasoning behind the way I act, and am I making life easier or harder for others?

Something I've really been focusing on lately is the importance of being kind to those you don't necessarily like, even if they do not reciprocate or even aggressively attack you. It's been years and years since I've last cried over something others have said to and/or about me; I just no longer feel the pangs of insults by others, because I know that people are mean for a reason--jealousy, inner sadness, having a bad day, fitting in, etc--and I've realized it's not worth it to jeopardize my happiness just because someone is having a bad day. 

I guess you could say I'm a little calloused from dealing with rude words over the years; I no longer care what people say about me. The good or the bad. I'm like that little Wemmick that no stickers could attach to. My belief is that you truly are happy when neither stars nor dots can define you. *

People are mean out of sarcasm, like it's some kind of funny joke to tease another. It's not. This is something I've always tried to stay away from; sarcasm is the cruelest use of words, because it celebrates another's suffering. I've seen enough cruelness and jokes made out of other people's individuality. I used to be pretty sarcastic, and then I realized how completely unfunny I sounded. Making fun of weight, age, or whom someone is dating, what their hobbies are--people make jokes out of all of this. How is any of that funny? Sarcasm is a bad plague that needs to be eliminated, because no one looks cool being mean.

Being kind to strangers is not enough--saying nice things to people we like is not enough--making a difference means communicating with only care, love, and inspiration to everyone. No life is made better by cruel thoughts. My goal is to stop thinking negatively about others--AND myself! It's easy enough--stop saying mean things. About anyone. To anyone. 

*If you've never read You Are Special by Max Lucado, you really should! It's supposed to have some religious theme, but I think every person needs to hear the message on criticism and letting go.