If You Have the Choice Between Being Right and Being Kind, Choose Being Kind
Our existence is negligible, and what we do in the grand scheme of creation doesn’t matter. However, to each other, it really does.
Our closest relationships are responsible for much of our joy. Consequently, they also cause the most strife. At times, these bonds mimic a metaphorical game of tug and war.
During challenging moments with our loved ones, we are left questioning their behaviors.
In the past, I’ve called out the wrongs of others. I don’t do this anymore because their wrongs are based on my perceived rights. I may have been sure that my advice would heal their wounds, but it never has.
These days I default to kindness. It’s not a passive stance, but instead an assertive one. As much as I want to chime in and pick up the mess that others have created for themselves, it takes patience, restraint, and hope to completely let go.
As I write this, the world is spinning at 1600 mph. A mother has given birth to a child, and another has lost one. Our planet is smaller than a grain of sand in relation to the universe. Our existence is negligible, and what we do in the grand scheme of creation doesn’t matter. However, to each other, it really does.
To live, suffer, have moments of joy, and then eventually die alone with no complete reassurance of what happens after is something we all have to contend with.
This is my reason to be kind. I don’t need a motive because I can already see the graveyard where we will all eventually rest together.
As a fellow soldier on the battlefield of life, I can always try to lend a hand even if someone thinks I’m wrong.
To lose the self is to find it in others.
“If You Have the Choice Between Being Right and Being Kind, Choose Being Kind”
Dr. Wayne Dyer
I choose kind for three simple reasons.
Inner peace and energy — Resorting to kindness instead of proving others wrong can preserve our peace and energy. Our expectations of others can be strong, but when we let these reins drop, we give total responsibility to others for their problems and we can focus on being a better version of ourselves, which is an ongoing process.
Death and oneness — Knowing that we will die one day can bring us closer to one another. It brings compassion, empathy, and love to the front of the line and ahead of other transitory feelings. A Native American proverb that I’ll remind myself of every now and again is, “no tree has branches to fight amongst themselves.”
Acceptance and true love — One of the reasons sadness falls on us is because we have expectations of our loved ones. We see their potential and want them to realize it. Our motives are pure in intention, but what’s even purer is accepting those we love for how they are and understanding, like us, they are trying to figure out life in their own way. True love is when we allow our judgments and expectations to fall. It’s when we love others because we see that they have always been enough.
Through my travels, I’ve been gifted kindness from many people. I intend to pass it on until I am no more and have a hunch that you’re already doing the same.
With Love,
Anand
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