On The Other Side Of Kindness

Everyone is fighting a demon. It could be the burden of school fees, career, relationships or worse, your mental health.

It is hard to notice these burdens since they are not tattooed on anyone’s face. They are camouflaged behind daily smiles and basic conversations that we have.

Being kind to everyone we encounter is essential, if not paramount. There is a lot that is going on in our lives, especially during this pandemic period. Sprinkling that gesture of kindness everywhere you go will absolutely make a positive impact.

Acts of kindness makes us feel grateful and roundly gives people a sense of belonging. You can agree that everytime someone is kind to you, you always feel the bond strengthen and grow a likeness for that person.

When you help someone through a tough time or help a stranger solve a problem, you will feel a sense of purpose and will be aware of your own good fortune.

With the changing world, however, being kind can easily be mistaken. It is becoming hard to trust anyone who trys to be kind to us. Reason being, they might be doing it for their gain – that they may ask for something in return. Or worse, be conmen who are pretending to be good Samaritans.

Stories are told of how it was easy to ask for directions in the CBD without feeling insecure. You could ask anyone you meet where Tom Mboya street is and they would direct you, sometimes even offer to take you there.

Overtime, people used that trick of asking for directions to steal from others. They would pretend to be asking for directions and in the process drug you. His gang would then join him and rob from you.

The tension between people is so extreme. Trust levels have gone so low that any act of kindness comes out suspicious.

Even though life is about give and take, one shouldn’t use kindness as a way of gaining from others. Acts of Kindness should come from the core part of humanity.

When you offer a lady a lunch or a drink, you shouldn’t feel entitled to get coitus from her. Unless you made it clear that that is what you want in return, your kind lunch offer should remain an act of kindness.

A good number of relations between man and woman have become transactional. The aspect of doing good for someone without having the ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality is out of the window.

Making the world a better place starts from being kind, not only to people but also to nature and to self.

As the old adage goes, “you cannot pour from an empty cup”, one should be kind to self first before extending the kindness to the surrounding. Being kind to self can be giving yourself enough sleep, eating healthy, setting achievable goals or even feeding on content that are helpful.

When you are kind to self, it will be easier for you to spread the kindness. As aforementioned, you can’t easily know what someone is going through. The only way you can come through for them is by showing act of kindness.

Being kind means putting others before ourselves and not expecting anything in return. Our bodies and minds reward us when we go out of the way for other people.

The fact that people around you are not kind should not make you feel the urge to be like them. Aim to change the narrative. What you put into the universe always comes back, the wise say. You pour out kindness, others will also be kind to you.

Mr. Ogonji is a highly professional and talented journalist with a solid experience in covering compelling stories, reporting facts, and engaging audiences. He is driven to uncover the truth behind today's most pressing issues and share stories that make a genuine impact.

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