Kindness is exactly what the world needs today.

We are two years into a worldwide pandemic while Russia invades Ukraine and the whole world watches in disbelief.

Tensions are high and patience is wearing thin in almost every aspect of life.

Kindness needs to be a natural part of who we are.

This is the only way we will come through these challenging times together.

And this can only happen when we strive to keep a positive perspective and recognize that everyone is just trying to do their best in a crazy mixed-up world.

Just this week my neurosurgeon husband had an emergency he had to attend to. The emergency caused him to be 20 minutes late to a patient appointment.

When my husband entered the room, the patient said to him that she wasn’t going to wait any longer and left promising to tell everyone he was a terrible doctor.

In that moment of frustration, rather than having a conversation with my husband, the patient stormed out of the room because she was so angry.

Although my husband picked himself up and moved to the next patient, this woman’s unkind words still bothered him. He was honestly trying very hard to just do his best by attending to both the emergency and his patients as quickly and professionally as he possibly could.  

I recognize that no one likes it when the doctor’s running late—including the doctor. But sometimes circumstances beyond our control happen.

In a world where tensions are already high, we need to be better about being kind to those around us and giving them the benefit of the doubt.

We have no idea what others are going through.

Charles Glassman said, “Kindness begins with understanding that we all struggle.”

This is especially true in today’s chaotic and tension-filled environment. Everyone is struggling. Everyone has burdens to carry. And everyone is just trying to do their best with the set of very difficult circumstances they’ve been given.

When we recognize that we are all human, doing our best in these challenging times, kindness becomes a little bit easier to manage.

It’s all about our perspective and how we choose to see the people around us.

If we get down on ourselves or others because expectations weren’t met, we lose perspective. Our negative focus perpetuates negative actions.

And persistent negativity isn’t going to allow us to produce positive feelings of kindness. Because no amount of negativity is going to produce a positive result.

Kindness multiplies kindness.

And as we practice intentional random acts of kindness, we will multiply our natural ability to show kindness to others.

If you really want to make a difference in the world or in your own circumstances, choose to be kind—even when it’s hard. That kindness will change the world. It will change your world.

There are so many good quotes on kindness that say it much better than I could. Here are just a few:

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” —Bob Kerrey.

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” —Scott Adams

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” —Barbara De Angelis

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu

“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” —Harold S. Kushner

Kindness really can change the world.

It may seem impossible to imagine that your small acts of kindness can ever make a difference—but they can.

 The other day, I overheard a conversation my 82-year-old mother was having on the phone.

She just sold her house and was talking with the insurance company. She needed help canceling her homeowner’s insurance policy.

They told her where to go online, but my mom would tell you herself that she’s not at all tech-savvy and was having difficulty following the instructions.

The customer service rep on the other side was kindly walking her through the process step by step. They weren’t irritated or frustrated that they had to repeat themselves. They kindly and patiently helped my mom until she was able to cancel their insurance.

That, to me, was an incredible act of kindness. Not only were they kind to my elderly mother, but they helped her feel valued and respected as a human being. They valued her even when she was canceling their service.

That experience may not have changed the world on a grand scale, but it changed my world as I saw another human being treat my mother with such genuine kindness and respect.

We may never know the struggles of those we come in contact with.

But every person we meet is a human being that deserves our kindness and respect.

How we treat others is a direct reflection of who we are.

As we do our best to navigate the world that is before us, I hope that we do better at being kind to others, and being kind to ourselves.

Then our ripple effect of kindness really will change the world one small act at a time.