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be kind. always.
May 28, 2017 • life, musings, personal
A little over a month ago, I wrote a piece for Teen Vogue about a Norwegian show called Skam. My article focused on the current season’s centric character, Sana, and how important she is for young Muslim women in this day and age. I am really proud of it, but after writing it I went through a mini writer’s block where I couldn’t make sense of any of my words. Because of that, everything I attempted to write has been sitting in my Google Drive as drafts.
Recently, however, while going through a rough patch, I started thinking about season two of Skam. The centric character for that season was Noora and she had a quote taped to her bedroom wall that read:
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
It sounds like a generic quote that I think we’ve all seen passed around over the years, but I think it holds so much truth. I come across so many people everyday whether it be while walking down a busy New York street or riding on a packed subway compartment. Everyone’s got a story. They’ve all got highs and lows that I will never know about. However, I don’t need to realize this to be nice to those I come across. I’m a strong believer in treating others how I wish to be treated. That isn’t always the case for everyone else, though.
So often I hear people say, “Oh, sorry for acting awful toward you. I was having a bad day.” Or, “Don’t mind them. They’re just going through stuff.”
Why is it okay for people to behave rudely with others because they’re having a bad day? Why is that a free pass to be a shithead and spread negativity?
As someone who tends to bottle things up, I find myself cracking at the seams as soon as it all becomes too much. And usually when I reach that breaking point and find it hard to hold in all my stress and anxiety, it’s usually triggered by others behaving rudely with me. Now, I wouldn’t say I’m the most sensitive person around, but it’s off putting when someone lets out their frustrations over other things on you when you yourself are going through your own problems. It can put a damper on your whole mood causing you to think negative thoughts.
I, personally, don’t want to be an unpleasant person to anyone because of my personal problems. I try to be as kind as possible to everyone I come across because that’s how I would like to be treated. And people say they are “always nice,” but they don’t actually practice it, which is so irritating. Practice what you preach!
That quote from Skam points out that we may not know anything about what other people are going through, so being kind could go a long way. It doesn’t take a lot to be nice. If you’re kind to those you come across, it will not only make that person feel good, but at the end of the day, you will also feel better about yourself.
Just a thought.
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