What does kindness mean to you? Does it involve being nice to other people, making them happy, and doing good things as often as possible? It is deeper than that. We all have the power to change the world, if only we can support each other always. Desmond Tutu once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Kindness is a language that connects us all, for instance, the rich, poor, sick, illiterate, educated, employed, unemployed, old, and young, regardless of race. Kindness starts with us. It’s about living with honesty, knowing your beliefs and having morals, and realising right and wrong. It also means treating others the way you’d want them to treat you. Kindness towards yourself is also just as important as caring for others. At times we confuse kindness for being nice. The two differ. Kindness is based on your own ethics, values, and your own beliefs, niceness is how other people see you. Kindness means doing no harm to others, judging less, being friendly, generous, and considerate. Do not undermine your self-worth, practice kindness while upholding your integrity. People believe kindness signifies weakness and being taken advantage of. It isn’t. I have witnessed kindness in buses very many times where teenagers get up from their seats and offer them to adults, pregnant women and the sick. This makes me happy. Nowadays, care and love has shifted from people to gadgets, someone would rather wear earphones and listen to music than chat with a colleague. How often do you check on your neighbours? They could have gone to bed on an empty stomach. A shoulder to lean on might be all they need. Be of help, who knows, tomorrow might be your turn. Kind people make it easy for others to love them; they greet, check in on people, say “thank you”, “excuse me”, and “sorry”. They do what they can to help others, even strangers, and the best part is that they never expect anything in return. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
