The reason I am writing this post about “Kindness”, is that I feel that kindness is all but gone from our society – maybe not completely but for the most part. Even before the pandemic, kindness was but a whisper in the wind. Now, this phenomenon might not be everywhere, but here on the West Coast I think it has been replaced with “Meanness”. We have all seen the news about Road Rage incidents, and the statistic indicating that since the pandemic started road rage has increased substantially. According to an article on MSN, by Bankrate, and written by Lena Borrelli on 04/29/2021; “more than 75% of Americans admit to aggressive driving – a lesser form of road rage.” Also, “in an analysis of more than 10,000 road rage incidents over seven years, there were at least 218 murders and 12,610 injuries”. Just recently a 6-year-old boy “Aiden Leos” was shot due to road rage.
I don’t want to just stick to road rage, but have you noticed that even in supermarkets, parking lots, sidewalks, people exhibit rage for the smallest reasons. I have raised my kids to always be kind to people, and I taught them certain rules to follow; for example, I explain to my kids if they are walking the dog and you see someone coming towards you, to cross the street simply and carefully. Our dog tends to bark a whole lot, more than normal, we are working on training her, but it is tough. So, we try and be kind to not disturb people walking on the street. Also, as a neighbor on the weekends, I try not to make any noise before 8:00 am, only because I know most of my neighbors get up early during the week. A couple of years ago, my next-door neighbor complained about the bathroom light been turned on late at night. The light happens to shine into their bedroom window. So, me trying to be kind I talk to then my teenage son, asking him to use his phone flashlight when he uses the bathroom late at night. The reason for his late bathroom visits was because he was studying late and would go to bed late, so before heading to bed he would use the restroom. I did these little things to try and be kind. Check this out, I even put up window tint on the bathroom window, to block out the light – it worked. The thing is my partner did not like it because during the day the bathroom was dark. Once again, I was trying to be kind – eventually, the tint fell off. Even at work, I remember my boss telling me straight in my face that I would never move up because I was too kind.
I look back at all the times in my life, the experiences, I came across when kindness was not returned to me or my family. I know that we have enough with all the issues in life and that I should not add to it, but you know what it, can weigh on you after a while. Just today, our neighbor texted telling us if the kids could stop banging on the fence. They were playing tag and just happening to be running around and ever so often bumping or hitting the fence – it is not like we do this every single day. I felt bad, but then I thought about all the times they did yard work with machines going on full blast, or home improvements exactly during the nap time of the kids – they knew about the nap time – and we never said a thing. My daughter was walking the dog today and she always crosses the street if another person is walking towards her. Today our dog happens to be pooping and someone came around the corner, they saw my daughter, and she tried to hurry up but by the time the dog was finished and she was able to pick up the poop (yes, we pick up poop) the person was upon her. They said something to her, she could not hear – because they were wearing a mask- but she said she heard that she should have moved. She felt bad, and I told her not to worry, things happen and you will meet people like that in this world. The thing is, why did she have to move, why couldn’t the person, walk across the street like we do when we see someone else walking on the sidewalk.
I don’t get it, what has our society come to? Kindness is so much better to give and it feels good when we do. Come on how many of you have watched TV commercial or news, or watched a video on social media that simply says “kindness” and it makes you feel good. Heck, you even comment that it is nice to see kindness in the world. Whether it is a barber shaving a homeless person for free, or someone rescuing a person from a burning house or car; when we see these images our bodies tingle, they feel all warm and fussy inside. So, why can’t we show more “Kindness” to our neighbors or fellow pedestrians – why? I thought about no longer caring, or worrying about those around me, since they don’t care. Come on how many times have we heard people say, I pay my taxes, I paid my dues, so why should I care – if no one else cares.
I am angry right now, and I am sure it will pass, but it might not be the best time to write, but the thing is “kindness” is not too hard to do, we are all capable of doing it. I do not believe we are born mean – but I guess whatever life throws at you, can start to take a toll on a person and change them for the worst. I have been through some craziness, and I am far from perfect, but I think I turned out ok. I think it comes down to “us” as a people, on how we want the day or even life to go – we as people can do amazing things and of course destructive things as well.
I appreciate that you stopped by and read my post, please have a wonderful Friday, and I leave you with this, “tomorrow wake up and make someone’s day”. Thank you.