Essay Sample on Kindness

A toothy smile from a friendly stranger on the street, picking the shy kid in a group project, or even a textbook good deed like buying a meal for someone in need: all of these are acts of kindness. Oblivious and conspicuous actions travel the globe alike, an essential virtue in a cold world. Kindness is an emotion that evokes emotion. It’s an infinitely generous well that runs deep in an otherwise cruel existence. Kindness might be the sole piece of this universe that only bears positives, and even the obscurest acts of tenderness can melt the mysterious winter of our hearts. Ultimately, the truth remains: the staggering effect of kindness is cumulative, and a cycle.

The beauty of kindness is despite the outward disposition of some people, it’s a commodity for all humans. Ironically, the people who need it the most are the hardest to give it to. Just as simply, the “givers” of kindness bridge from savior-esque figures who make it their job to spread kindness, to the daily citizen who gives you the classic southern wave. In that way, unironically, kindness is timeless. Kindness is not exclusive to religion, race, gender; it is truly universal, and likewise, its spread is infectious. 

So often, people are quick to criticize, judge, and belittle others in unnecessary ways. Judgment is common, “but kindness bites its tongue” (Fahkry, 2017). It is terribly easy to mistreat others when an act perceived as wrong is executed towards you. Though it may appear as injustice, that is the crucial time to act in kindness. Fahkry advises that kindness “originates from the simple fact of doing no harm to others,” or even plainer, the “Golden Rule.” It might be simple, but devout followers of “treat others how you want to be treated,” are scarce. Despite anger or other neurotic emotions provoking the ego, the best method is to act in kindness; regardless of how others perceive it. Often mistaken as weakness, kindness is an asset that should be revered, because it takes great strength to navigate life in a manner that is kind when living is so brutal.

In a society where kindness should be prosaic, it isn’t. Many experiences build a person, which creates a silent coercion to react a certain way. A teacher can screech the same “kindness matters” speech until heads pound and ears bleed, but ultimately, true listeners are few and far between. Kindness and weakness became synonymous somewhere along the line, when true weakness lies in poor boundaries. 

A study piloted by researchers at Harvard and the University of British Columbia revealed that people felt happier after remembering a purchase made for another, as opposed to a gift for themselves.  This peculiar thrill every time you take proactiveness in community, when a kind act is performed, might just be addictive. The happier you are, “the more likely you are to do another kind act,” (qtd. In Dixon) explained Lara Akin, head of the study. Dixon dubbed this the “positive feedback loop.” Feeling happy about a good deed encourages more of those actions, which in turn, brings positivity and spreads kindness. The mutual relationship between happiness and kindness continues to build off one another.

Altruism not only retains psychological affects, it can also have a direct impact on bodily health. Kindness increases lifespan and energy, while simultaneously lowering stress, and even blood pressure (“Spread Kindness for a Happier You”). Good physical and mental health can drastically alter mood, motivating a person to take positive action in their lives, effectively altering the lives of many, causing kindness to spread. Happy people make happy people, through their proactiveness that inspires others, too, to be kind. They are essentially intertwined, a fumbling array of knots too complex to separate. 

In one notion, kindness can be described as “pay it forward.” Fahkry phrased it best: “In this fast-paced world, kindness and compassion takes a back seat to selfies, self-interest and expendable human interactions.” It is incredibly easy to live in obliviousness and the mediocre, negligent to missed opportunities or forgotten kindnesses in a superficial world. Focus on genuine interactions with the people that matter, forming memories with the ones close to you (even the ones who aren’t), and through that, culminate kindness. 

Being nice holds real power, and everyone has something to learn. Pre-school teachers and nuns are not the only ones trained in the field of kindness, in fact, it’s arguable that the novices are the ones who should be practicing it. Practice does make perfect, after all. Kindness knows no bounds, regardless of its inherently bigoted wielder. Let it show and let it bleed into everything that you do because there is no end to evil, and if each person chooses kindness, the cycle of kindness will be just as infinite.

Kindness can be quiet, or loud, but it must be present. Being altruistic benefits the participant, the bystanders, and the victim. Kindness has a way of repeating itself, sometimes in silence, but always in meaning. It’s a natural contagion spreading from person to person, so maintain it. Keep being kind; it might be the healthiest addiction you ever experience.