(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Kindness is Resistance. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2022-12-15

The sun's rays can melt snow on our roof even when the temperature is below freezing. The resulting icicles have a special kind of beauty.

Sometimes, It feels like so much is out of our control. We fight and work and stand up and fight and campaign and vote and sign petitions and argue and write and work and talk and shout and cry and fight and struggle because we really care and we want a just and fair and safe world…

But, damn. The news just keeps newsing, the lies just keep oozing, guns keep on killing, blood keeps spilling, the fires keep burning and so many just aren’t learning...It’s exhausting.

So much is out of our control. How do we keep resisting?

Kindness is resistance.

A friend from Daily Kos offered these powerful words to me a few months ago and I’ve been clinging to them ever since.

It seems like the more we dig into the roots of every bad news story coming out of the GOP and Qanon circles (hard to tell the difference anymore) the more obvious it is that CRUELTY. IS. THE. POINT. of most of what they do. Hard to square that with their claims of religiousity and all that bull hockey, but it is what it is.

So what can I do that is painless and simple and free every single day to fight against this onslaught of constant negativity?

I can be kind. I can be kind to the people around me. I can be kind to the people I encounter, even though I don’t know them. I can be kind to myself. I can be kind to those I cross paths with. I can be kind to the old people and the young people, the weak and the strong. I can be. If I choose to be.

Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet. - Maya Angelou

I was a very sensitive child. I’m still really sensitive. I’ve had my whole day ruined by someone’s unkindness, someone who doesn’t even realize I’m alive. It was an epiphany to me when I was 16 and waiting tables to recognize that some folks were just grouchy no matter what, and it had nothing to do with me. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea why they were so grouchy, and that for all I knew they had a very good reason to be in such a bad mood. Maybe their wife had just died, or they had lost their job, how did I know? From that point on (actually a fairly desperate time in my own life) I made it a point to be extra nice to these kind of customers. Wow. What a difference! Not so much in them, though quite a few changed considerably, but what a difference in myself (and in my tips!) It was really quite a life-changing experience.

Many years later when I was a teacher and a mother, I tried to pass this lesson on to my students and my own children. “Do we even have to be kind to bad guys?” they would ask. “Yes, bad guys need kindness more than anyone. Most bad guys are just hurt people.” Of course, we would have to talk about self-protection and boundaries, which I never compromise on. We stand up to bullies. We say no to hate.

It’s been hard to remember these past few years. But, as my friend reminded me, kindness always matters.

x YouTube Video

x YouTube Video

Remind the people you love that you love them. Remind yourself that kindness is, indeed, resistance. And very powerful at that. And please, be kind to your own selves this season.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/15/2117254/-Kindness-is-Resistance

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/