Importance of Kindness in Our World

Kindness is a quality which comprises many things like warmth, smile, giving, concern, empathy etc.it is what makes human beings humane. At dark times, kindness is like a light shown for you and that light makes the bleaker things brighter. Many people think being kind means being weak. That is not the case. In fact, it takes a lot of courage to be kind. Being kind doesn’t mean that you have to always say yes to all the favour people ask you. It is simply opening your eyes and seeing the problems others face and offering your help. Even the simplest things like opening the door, giving a warm smile, sharing your lunch is an act of kindness. The things which doesn’t matter to you may mean a lot to others. Kindness is not just about physical help. You are also giving them hope that there are good things in life and that someone is there to look after them .kindness is not just about others. The hope you give to others will also instill hope in you and it will also give you immense happiness. In the story ‘The circus’ by Dan Clark, he talks about how a man gives money to another man to buy tickets for his family who are eagerly waiting to see a show. Here, the way the man offers help is to be noted. He pretends that the money fell down from the other man’s pocket and that it belonged to him.

“We didn’t go to the circus that night but we didn’t go without”

This line conveys the poet’s feelings on how he received happiness even when he didn’t see the circus.

All religion has a reference to kindness. The words may be different but the belief is the same.

In this fast paced world where everyone is trying to satisfy their own need, there arises a question of why should we be kind. The answer to this lies in the fact that everyone is going through the same thing in their life. We all face problems and go through some rough patches. We will know what others are going through in their life. Being kind to each other makes this journey more bearable. Human beings were made to be kind and compassionate. This has gotten away from them due to the pain and suffering one has faced but it has to remembered that kindness takes away that pain one goes through or at least makes it bearable.

This has happened to me when I went into the main central railway station instead of the suburban railway station. A ticket checker asked me for my ticket and I said that I came to the wrong station and that I only entered few minutes ago and I even showed my suburban ticket but they didn’t believe me. So he told me to pay the fine and on that day, I didn’t have that much money. I was crying and calling my friends. One of my college mate who I have never talked to before saw me and came to offer help. He talked to the ticket checker on my behalf and gave him the money. That day was the worst day of my life. For person who thinks crying is so overrated cried at the busiest place in Chennai. But the gesture from someone who I have never talked to and who need not have helped me but did so anyway made my day better.

This is the power of kindness. It not only has an impact on the receiver but also on the doer. The things we regret most in our life will always be the situations where we could have offered help to others but didn’t. This is what George Saunders talks about in his convocation speech at Syracuse University. He regrets not having helped a girl in his class who was constantly teased by others.

“One thing in our favor: some of this “becoming kinder” happens naturally, with age. It might be a simple matter of attrition: as we get older, we come to see how useless it is to be selfish — how illogical, really. We come to love other people and are thereby counter-instructed in our own centrality. We get our butts kicked by real life, and people come to our defense, and help us, and we learn that we’re not separate, and don’t want to be. We see people near and dear to us dropping away, and are gradually convinced that maybe we too will drop away (someday, a long time from now). Most people, as they age, become less selfish and more loving.”

George Saunders says that people are born thinking that they are separate from others and that they are immortal. As they get older and go through difficulties, they see how wrong they are. When they start seeing people die, they realize how illogical it all is. He says that they become more loving and kind.

People always look back in their life and remember the ones who have been kind to them.