How does kindness affect someone?
Has someone else’s mood ever affected you? Well when someone is kind, it can make the recipient have a good day and be kind to others. Whereas if someone is mean to another, it can make the victim have a bad day. Everyone should be kind to others because people deserve to have a good day. Try doing random acts of kindness. Hold a day open for someone. Say nice words to a friend or an acquaintance.
The formal definition of kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, considerate and it is associated with being gentle, warm, concern, care, and affectionate.
Karyn Hall, the author of Pieces of Mind, stated, “Darwin, who studied human evolution, actually didn't see mankind as being biologically competitive and self-interested. Darwin believed that we are a profoundly social and caring species. He argued that sympathy and caring for others is instinctual.”
As can be seen, Darwin believed that the most important thing for humans is to have sympathy and care for others.
Senior Maya Doskocil explained, “When someone is nice to me it warms my heart especially on a bad day.”
As can be noted, being nice to someone even when you are in high school can improve someone’s day and make them feel good.
“It makes me feel welcome where I am, and that the people I am with actually enjoy my presence,” said Alec Houston, senior.
As shown above, when someone is kind to another, it makes people feel welcome and feel as though the people they around actually enjoy them.
Whereas, most people argue that kindness is a weakness.
Hall stated, “Survival of the fittest is usually associated with selfishness, meaning that to survive (a basic instinct) means to look out for yourself.”
As shown above, some people believe that in order to survive in this world, one must be selfish and mean.
Doskocil explained, “When someone is mean to me it hurts my feelings and makes me put guards up.”
As can be seen, when someone is mean, it causes one to feel hurt and make them want to put a wall up and isolate themselves.
However, kindness does more than just make people feel loved and feel like they mean something to the people around them.
Hall explained, “Kindness is a value that could add more satisfaction to and strengthen your relationships.”
As can be seen, kindness helps strengthen one’s relationships with other people.
“Doing something nice for someone makes me feel good about myself. I do not do it to get noticed, I do it because I like to be kind to others and help everyone out,” said Doskocil.
As shown above, even when someone does a good act for another person, it creates a good feeling for both people involved. Also, it allows one to help someone in need.
Houston explains,“It gives me a good feeling about who I am and what I am doing in my day-to-day life. It allows me to feel good about the place I’m in because I know I’m contributing positively to the people around me.”
As can be noted, having kindness toward others allows one to feel like they are contributing positively to the environment.
Overall, kindness holds a lot of importance in one’s life. Kindness can make or break someone’s day. So whenever you see someone you know or someone who looks like they are having a bad day, say something nice to them, talk to them and listen, and hold the door open for them. The little things in life can affect someone’s day and no one deserves to have a bad day. Thus meaning that you should be nice to someone because being kind to someone makes the recipient's day better and yours. Kindness not only improves someones’ day but it also allows people to feel loved and that the people around them care about them.
