The world is beautiful…, truly beautiful, but it is drowning in the selfish preoccupations of humanity.
Take, for example, the customers who are lining up waiting to be served; some are outright rude and inconsiderate of the feelings of the staff behind the counter just because the line is long, others are grumbling, shrugging shoulders, and some blatantly staring at watches and tapping their feet. They forget thatthe staff behind the counter work long hours and have to do it with a constant smile on their faces.
Think too of people who make telephone calls to the staff manning the customer-care desk; some are so inconsiderate that they yell and scream even when the customer-care personnel are politely and calmly explaining that the request cannot be fulfilled without breaking the law. They forget that it’s no use insulting and blazing at the staff for upholding company policy. The staff can’t change a thing.
Consider the customers in a restaurant who lose their cool because wait staff have brought what was not ordered but have instead served some messy meal that requires eating with the hands and some soups and salads which include lettuce that may get stuck in the teeth.
Think about the people who mistake kindness for weakness and end up oppressing one for being kind; or those people who take advantage of the kindness and good-heartedness of others to get what they want.
Ponder over people who are full of rage on the road just because they can’t get to their destination quickly enough.
These are just but a few examples of situations that have sucked kindness out of humanity; they are examples that prove that humans have become self-serving and have stopped thinking beyond themselves, and this has influenced every action that they take, and every thought that they have – this selfishness has superseded their desire to be kind to others.
The above, and many other examples notwithstanding, we all have a free choice; whether to be kind, indifferent, rude or cruel. Courtesy and kindness make a world of positive difference when we are dealing with people; even those people who are hard to deal with can be softened through common courtesy. Courtesy is a simple way to connect, and it is respectable.
We should not allow our kindness to get sucked out of us even when we get insulted for doing our jobs correctly. We need energy to remain kind and nice because this allows us to be calm and sweet, which is the best revenge; to reply “You’re welcome. Have a nice day” even after being abused. If we would like to see positive, kindness, niceness, and happiness change in the world, we must be the change.
It’s high time for us to evaluate our personality; to determine how we interact with others, and whether we let down our guard when confronted with absurd scenarios. It’s time for us to learn to give others a break and to be polite in our attitude and behavior toward them; it’s time for us to start considering the feelings of those who do jobs that we may hate to do.
Courteous people give kindness expecting nothing in return; courteous people apologize when they do wrong; they respect the needs of others; they are kind and honest at all times; they respect other people; and, they respect other people’s property and space.
“It costs nothing to be nice … but the dividends are priceless”, said Sherrie Holland. Showing gratitude, extending pleasant words, and treating everyone with respect, and unconditional kindness makes positive differences in other people’s lives. Courtesy builds relationships, it opens doors and connections, and its fruits are mutually beneficial to both the giver of courtesy and its receiver.
But, to show kindness costs time, effort, energy and mental space. It requires self-control so that one does not slip up and let emotions to take control. Speaking and living with courtesy is a simple skill that can be learned; it’s a habit that can be formed. It is formed when we develop a consistent pattern and principle of action to always be kind and nice without expecting anything in return. We must be willing to be vulnerable to the misunderstanding of those who are cruel or those who have been wounded by cruelty and would try to take advantage of our kindness.
Luke 6:35 tells us to “love our enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and our reward will be great, and we will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men”.
Courtesy and kindness have the ability to convert this planet to a truly beautiful world that is drowning in humility, happiness, love, peace, trust, and honesty; all of which cost nothing …. but mean everything.
