"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."-Viktor Frankl
And now, ladies and gentleman, I present to you an excerpt from something I once wrote:
There are two types of college students: those who are very prepared for rain and those who aren’t. But both make the rain bearable. The students who aren’t prepared for the rain give you a chuckle; they dodge and dash and sprint across campus in nothing but t-shirts, shorts and flip flops, or tennis shoes. No doubt they’re drenched by the time they get to their dorm rooms. The students who are prepared for the rain make the gloomy weather seem quite fashionable; they wear rain boots and rain coats, and they’re umbrellas are really a very whimsical display.
Now, you might be wondering what relevance my excerpt has to being kind? Well being kind is a choice. It is a choice you make when you are most frustrated and it is easier to snap at those around you. It is a choice you make when you have every reason to be frustrated or angsty. Bottom line: being kind is a choice.
If we go back to the golden rule, to love and treat others the way we want to be loved and treated, it all goes back to kindness. No one wants to be snapped at or yelled at or pushed away (verbally or physically). Kindness is as much a freedom as it is a state of mind as it is a series of actions. Choose kindness all your life.
There are two types of college students: those who are very prepared for rain and those who aren’t. But both make the rain bearable. The students who aren’t prepared for the rain give you a chuckle; they dodge and dash and sprint across campus in nothing but t-shirts, shorts and flip flops, or tennis shoes. No doubt they’re drenched by the time they get to their dorm rooms. The students who are prepared for the rain make the gloomy weather seem quite fashionable; they wear rain boots and rain coats, and they’re umbrellas are really a very whimsical display.
Now, you might be wondering what relevance my excerpt has to being kind? Well being kind is a choice. It is a choice you make when you are most frustrated and it is easier to snap at those around you. It is a choice you make when you have every reason to be frustrated or angsty. Bottom line: being kind is a choice.
If we go back to the golden rule, to love and treat others the way we want to be loved and treated, it all goes back to kindness. No one wants to be snapped at or yelled at or pushed away (verbally or physically). Kindness is as much a freedom as it is a state of mind as it is a series of actions. Choose kindness all your life.
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