Kindness: An Everyday Art

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Kindness is one of the primary traits a parent instills in their child. It is a fundamental element of human nature. Think back on the past week. Did anyone grant you an ounce of spare kindness? If so, think about how it brightened your day, even for a moment. If not, think back to a moment where you could have really used a kind service. There are times we take these moments for granted, we can’t always help it. Regardless, why do we not do it more consciously beyond just our instinctual kind acts. Usually we are prompted to participate in extending kindness when we ourselves have just experienced these moments. In devoting more time to being kind, you not only can benefit someone else’s life and perspective but your own as well.

When you begin looking at the world with more positivity in mind, such as doing something kind for someone else, you feel lighter about the world. It restores your faith that the world can be gentle and kind, and you are an active participant in that. We recognize the warmth we feel when someone is kind to us and we gain some of that warmth for ourselves as well. So why don’t we partake in this more often?

For some people, kindness comes easily. For some, we are unlearning habits taught to us. If kindness is not always your initial reaction, you are not inherently bad. We live in a world that is full of cruelties. With access to technology, we are constantly aware of how disappointing the world can be. To counteract this, being able to be a kind person and acting on it, even in small doses, can add more needed light into the world. It is a piece of life that we need to be conscious to include in our days. For all the times you are not instinctually kind, you should be consciously kind and genuine.

The positive moments of life are fuels to our gratitude, ambition, and promise to make the world a better place. We search for these moments in all the major events of our life. We hope to be congratulated for our life-changing accomplishments as much as we hope someone grants us a sincere compliment in a day. Hope is in direct correlation to the kindness represented in the world. For every moment you hope, you should want to be kind. 

You may not have spare kindness to give every single day. That is inherently human. But on those days, do you wish someone would have spare kindness to give to you? There will inevitably be moments where you don’t act how you should or how you wish you would. Rather than beating yourself up, remind yourself once again to be in tune with your conscious kindness. You will disappoint yourself, but use it as an opportunity to become better. Do your best to bring some light back into the world.

We are not humans if we are not evolving. Rather than evolving with the wickedness at our fingertips, evolve with the good. Change into a version of yourself that is forgiving, compassionate, more human. There is strength in these qualities. Kindness is not weak, it is not gentle. Kindness, in its truest form, is about strength. The strength to enlighten another, to aid in a task big or small. We overlook it so often. Live with integrity. All the strongest powerhouse qualities stem from kindness. 

There are small kindnesses: the compliments to a stranger, holding the elevator or door for someone else, smiling at the stranger who you awkwardly made eye contact with. There are big moments: standing up for someone, being a shoulder to cry on, even warning someone before a bike speeds into them. 

These acts are not always easy, but they are worth it. And if these joys are not enough incentive, know that kindness comes back around. It is not always instant, but the light you put into the world is bound to find you. Casting away a small shadow means one less you must face. The most powerful people are those who aren’t afraid to bring someone up because they know it does not diminish them in any way. 

So on the days you have extra joy to give out, make sure to. When you are needing more light in the world, bring it in yourself. To be kind is to be strong. You never know who else might need a kind moment.