Show kindness.. even when it's hard
There’s a great story about a man riding the train with his 3 young kids, and the kids are yelling, acting up, and terrorizing the whole train.
Everyone on the train is getting angry and annoyed, and finally someone get’s fed up and says:
“Hey man, don’t you think you should do something about your kids?”
The father kind of has to shake himself out of a daze. He makes eye contact and you see the dark circles, the fatigue. He replies,
“Oh sorry about that. They lost their mother recently and have been kind of out of control. I’ll see if I can get them to quiet down”.
If you were one of the annoyed people, would you feel different after hearing this?
Maybe you’d feel guilty for being so annoyed, while this man was clearly suffering more.
In your mind he might go from an oaf who doesn’t care how his kids act, to a tired father desperately trying to hold it together after losing his wife.
Your perspective would change, and if you’re a decent person you’d respond with kindness.
I love this story because it illustrates a common cliche that a lot of us tend to forget:
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
―Brad Meltzer
The rude old lady at the store might be sad her kids never visit.
The young skateboarder outside your business might be using skating as an escape from a toxic home.
The person who cut you off in traffic might be speeding to their child’s birth, or to see a family member who was in an accident.
We have no idea what the whole picture is.
Maybe someone is just a jerk… that’s certainly possible.
But what does it benefit us to believe that?
I say it’s better to give the benefit of the doubt.
Assume your first impression is wrong. Believe there’s more to this person. A pain, or a struggle, or a weight they’re carrying.
If you respond with kindness, it won’t hurt you, but it might mean literally everything to them.