Once I was asked what makes a kind person? I honestly had no answer so we discussed this question and our conclusion was – a kind person is one who is unconditionally kind to people they don’t have to be kind to.
If you think about it – you have to be kind to your loved ones, you are naturally kind to to who is kind to you or if there is a gain in your kindness you will be kind but does any of that make you a kind person? Answer is NO.
The question we need to ask ourselves is how are we unconditionally kind to strangers, coworkers, teachers, classmates, service workers, waiters and waitresses, baristas, policemen, employees, bosses, coworkers, janitors, delivery men, the homeless, the 1 800 person, the guy who cut you off, the lady who honked at you, the inexperienced employee serving you, the loud construction crew, the upset customer, the unpleasant grocery store check out guy etc…
Do we practice compassion, forgiveness, turning the cheek and ability to look past someone’s emotions and treat others the way we want to be treated? There is no answer but there is always a reminder, and the reminder is just practice and keep on practicing to remind yourself that honey attracts more flies than vinegar. So treat people with honey, regardless of who they are and what’s in it for you. Although kindness can sometimes play against you and people can take advantage of you – the kindness path is always more rewarding than the path of pessimism, negativity and bitterness.