Mark Twain said it best when he stated that “Kindness is a gift that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Ellen Degeneres came under fire when she was caught on camera at a nationally televised Dallas Cowboys game sitting next to former U.S. President George Bush. It seems that some people are so angry and disagreeable that they think everyone else should be also.
It got so bad that Ellen had to address it on her show the next day.
Ellen is a funny celebrity but she is also very thoughtful, insightful, and wise. She further solidified this reputation with her well thought out and logical response, “I’m friends with George Bush. In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s okay that we’re all different. Just because I don’t agree with someone on everything doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them. When I say be kind to one another, I don’t only mean the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone.”
For some, it is no longer acceptable to agree to disagree. It is no longer okay to have diversity of thought. Too many people have taken the “if you are not for us, then you are against us” approach.
A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they might deserve. Treat everyone with kindness, even those who are rude to you or that you disagree with, not because they are nice but because you are.
The great humanitarian and philosopher Albert Schweitzer said, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
Adding to this, Abe Lincoln said, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
Martin Luther King, Jr. encountered many people that disagreed with him (quite the understatement), yet managed to win people over through his peaceful and loving spirit. One of my favorite things that he said was “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
If you want the world to be better. If you want people to believe what you believe (or at least see your point of view), then give them a reason to. Show them that your opinions and viewpoint are worthy of consideration. You don’t do this by being mean-spirited, rude, or spiteful.
Be the change that you want to see in the world. One person can make a difference and everyone should try. To the world, you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.
Let change start with you. Be the reason someone smiles today. Be kind to everyone, not just those that agree with you.