The world might be a better place if we could learn to be a little nicer
If you are used to surfing and getting information on the Internet, you will probably have noticed a very alarming detail --- it seems that kindness is going out of fashion.
Until a few years ago, when people were still used to talking to each other face to face, to hugging and smiling at each other, it was normal to witness episodes in which perfect strangers could find themselves offering mutual help or sharing moments of sociability.
Once, when a plumber came to a house to fix the shower, it was normal to ask if they would like a cup of coffee; when there was a person in the street who seemed to be in difficulty, it was normal to stop to check and see if everything was okay ...
Today, it seems that everyone is closing themselves into increasingly narrow and self-sufficient nuclei, outside of which there is no room for any form of solidarity and understanding. How did we get this way?
via heritage.org
In recent years, the world of information and communication seems to have spread a message that is totally wrong, namely, that being aggressive is equivalent to being strong.
If we take a look at the social media networks, we immediately realize that being kind is not "cool", while someone who insults, is sarcastic, and who manages to hurt others in a nasty or stinging manner seems to be the winner.
However, in reality, the opposite is true! In fact, you need a great deal of courage and inner strength to be understanding and kind to others!
This is because aggression often comes from a malaise we have inside. Angry insults against others considered to be weaker or treating someone with indifference is the expression of an inner malaise that we need to vent ... and attacking others is the best way to do it - especially if we are hiding behind a computer keyboard!
The weakness of others annoys us because, in reality, we cannot stand ours; we cannot see beauty in other people because, in reality, we are among the first who feel ugly inside. And let's not talk about envy, which is the cause of a lot of gratuitous malice ...
To show understanding and kindness is instead the way to open up, to get involved, and this requires much more courage than being aggressive. When we smile or offer our solidarity, we are offering ourselves as a mainstay on which that person can rest or lean, and we can do so only if we perceive and appreciate our own strength.
The world today has an extreme need for kindness. And we can understand this from how we are moved by the rescue of a dog in distress, or when we see a boy who helps a woman to cross the street or someone who decides to buy a hot meal for a homeless person.
And we desperately need smiles! When we go to a bar to order a coffee, when we meet the neighbors on the stairs or elevator, or when we let someone pass ahead of us in the line at the supermarket ... All these moments are perfect occasions to spread altruism and kindness, and if everyone began to do it, the world would become - or rather it would return to being - a much better place.
Let's unglue our eyes from our smartphones, disconnect from social networks, and smile again ... the world really needs it!
