The Essence of Life Kindness free essay sample

The Essence of Life: Kindness â€Å"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. † (Mark Twain). Kindness is applicable to everyone, whether it means to be kind to someone, or receive kindness on a daily basis. It reaches out to people. What is kindness? Kindness is what ties the human race together as one. It’s a way of life that benefits everyone in involved. It’s what cheers up a friend after a painstaking day or creates a friendship between two people who were never thought to ever be friends. Sometimes it is a â€Å"please† or â€Å"thank you†, but other times, it can change a life forever. Kindness is not talking behind someone’s back or saying rude remarks. Kindness is genuine, unique, and is life-changing to the world and its people. Kindness is everything. Kindness is not artificial, fake, or unreal. It is a genuine goodwill to everything that makes up the earth, including nature and the people around it. We will write a custom essay sample on The Essence of Life: Kindness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In my opinion, kindness can be tied to another topic altogether-hypocrisy. Many people say that they adore nature, but toss there repulsive garbage here and there. Someone will say that they are a kind person, when the truth is, is that they aren’t truly being kind. Again, they are not being genuine, the most important trait of kindness. Are they making a difference in someone’s life, or changing the world for a better? No. I’m not saying there actions are negative, but I do feel that people need to step up. Another Richards 2 act of hypocrisy that ties to kindness is being very polite to someone, but right when getting out of their presence, saying bad remarks about them. This obviously shows that that politeness was genuine. Therefore, in this case it is not an act of kindness. This does not mean that being polite is not an act of kindness, but when it is tied to hypocrisy, then is usually is. There can also vast differences between what really is kindness, and what is just being nice. There is a vast difference between being nice and being kind. As stated before, being kind is a genuine thing. Being nice to someone can include being polite but not making that person feel good after. Kindness makes people feel good, and that’s why it is essential to life. Many people believe that if they are polite and compliment people, but then behind their back they ridicule them, that they are being a generally kind person. This is false. Being a kind person means to make someone feel good not just for that split second, but for the rest of their life. An example of this is volunteering. Volunteering can make a change that can affect the future, not just the moment it happen. For example, I basically volunteer my time once a week to play jazz music in Rossmoor every Wednesday with the elderly people that live there. It brightens their day. This gives them time to talk and interact with the younger generation and share stories that the love to tell. Although it does benefit me in many ways, I feel that it benefits them in a greater way. Every Wednesday they are so excited to talk and play the music they grew up listening to. It gives them a chance to relive their childhood, maybe even college years. In my opinion, this is kindness. Volunteering is an act of kindness that is not replaceable, and different from just being â€Å"polite†, or â€Å"nice. This makes volunteering a legitimate act of kindness. Richards 3 Everyone has at least a couple problems in their life. This is unavoidable; we are humans. â€Å"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. † (Plato). This quote expresses a great point that many is this world struggle with many problems, whether it be physically, or mentally. Kindness can change the lives of many gloomy people in a very positive way. And the thing is, is that it doesn’t have to be much. In my opinion, I believe that the greatest example of someone who wants or tries so hard to be kind is a dog. No matter if the owner is black, white, Hispanic, tall, short, smart, or dumb, that dog will always be kind and loving. If dogs are always kind, why can’t we be too? Being nice is a simple feet, while kindness is hard to reach, but very rewarding. Some may consider kindness to be simple task; it’s in each human’s blood. In some ways, yes, this true. The little things that people do to be kind isn’t done with great intent, it is just done from the heart, without thinking about it. But kindness can be humongous acts of not only goodwill, but heroism. Whether it is saving victims of 9-11 on the 38th floor, or carrying a victim of a brutal bombing to safety, kindness can be huge. Sure, it might be extreme to call these examples an act of â€Å"kindness†. But it all ties to the same point that kindness can be exerted in many forms, and is always appreciated through any situation. Is kindness on the rise in the USA today? In my opinion, many acts of kindness are on the rise. For example, all of the foundations and events helping to raise money for a cause. Twenty years ago there definitely wasn’t as many fundraisers as there are today. People are getting more involved today. There also is the opposite side. People are becoming lazy, not caring about the world and its inhabitants. Many people also don’t think ahead, for the future. I believe that to be a citizen and to remain a legal citizen of the United States one must put in the hours to aid the people and Richards 4 certain causes. Plenty can be done to make a change, but we as a nation need to step up and do it together.