Kindness

I recently read a post on LinkedIn that really stood out for me.  That is hard to do these days, as there are so many posts in all kinds of social media that tend to be remarkably similar.  And many of them inspire little discussion.  Some even inspire vile and nasty responses and trigger a cycle of anger and hate.  These posts spin us all in place and move us nowhere.

But this post that stood out was by someone, unbelievably, mourning the loss of a dear pet.  A family member in its own right, a dear and resolute friend.  The response to this post absolutely stunned me, in an effective way.  Person after person left comments of support and care for the poster and their family.  Many shared related stories and lamented their own losses as well.

It was striking to me that compared to other “business” posts this person has made over time, the supportive response to this one was dozens of times more plentiful.  The feeling of support and care visibly helped move this person through and past his grief.  Simple words of empathy and care physically brought a powerful sense of progress.  He could not even continue to respond to each comment, there were so many!!

World kindness day was recently celebrated internationally.  This seems so fitting given the background of this post and the responses.  How would our businesses, careers, and personal lives advance more effectively if we all just treated each other with support and kindness, ALL the time??!!  How much further would we all go if we did not have to fight off the hate and anger, and just listened to each other more effectively?

It is a powerful thought, and one that I will continue to aspire to.  If you sense you have an angry or hateful thought or response to someone, I urge you to consider a supportive option.  Perhaps ask a question rather than make a statement.  Think of options for action that do not necessarily include judgement.  At this special time of year, consider the powerful effects of kindness in all that you do!