Be Kind

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it, you've got to be kind." Kurt Vonnegut Jr., God Bless you Mr. Rosewater.

As true as it is for the babies in God Bless you Mr. Rosewater Vonnegut's one rule is true for us as well. Be kind to one another. It is easy to be mean, it is easy to be neglectful, and it is easy to be angry. All these ways of treating people come from quick reaction. Being kind should flow the same way, but so often it does not. So often we count the cost of kindness when all we may need to give is a soft word, a gentle touch.

We are all equals here and deserve to be treated as such with the same kindness with which we treat ourselves.

However, kindness is not always gentle. It can be a kindness to share a flaw or illuminate a fault. When this is done from kindness and is not done to hurt then it is done to nurture and open an opportunity to grow. Kindness does not gloss over faults but gives the best, most supportive and heartfelt advice on how to fix them. It gives the strength that is needed to do the work and it brings the beer afterwards.