I promise this isn’t going to be a political post. It’s much bigger than politics. This post is even bigger than parenthood! I know, how do you get bigger than parenthood? This is about us as a species. Humans are at risk. Our society is at risk.
Again, not a political post. Do I think the world is ending because someone won an election? Nope. What I think is happening is that we are forgetting that we are responsible for one another. We are our brothers, mothers, fathers, sisters and everyone else’s keeper. We need to stop thinking that just because something might not directly affect us that it never will. We need to stop turning a blind eye when one of ours hurts another.
This is bigger than race, sex and economic status. Don’t get me wrong, it is fueled through these categories and once again is causing oppression to stand tall on the necks of those being oppressed. I am speaking to all humans though and not simply the oppressed or oppressors. There is way too much HATE being spewed. There is way too much HATE being spewed by those feeding off of soundbytes and headlines. These is too much HATE being spewed by those that have had hate passed down like a family tradition. There is too much HATE being spewed by those that are fed up with a system that doesn’t seem to be working. There is too much HATE being spewed by those that know what it is to feel hate.
We need to STOP! Rather than spreading HATE like the virus it is we need to start working on a cure. And honestly the cure is simple. We need to #GrowKindness. Grow kindness? Yup, Grow kindness. We need to stop sharing HATE. And that goes for me too. Rather than spreading info on the hateful things happening in our world let’s instead shine light on the KIND and loving things happening. Rather than looking for the bad in someone that doesn’t agree with us let us use kindness to find a common ground. Rather than responding from a place of anger we need to respond from a place of love.
Trust me when I tell you I have to learn this lesson too. I just know that it is critical to #GrowKindness. I do not want my daughter growing up in a world full of hate. I do not want her growing up thinking she should hate. I do not want her growing up to be hated. Instead I will teach her to remain strong in her kindness. And I am hoping that you will teach your children to do the same. I am hoping that you will do the same. Smiles spread. Love spreads. Kindness spreads. Do something kind for someone just because. Let us pay forward the positive and leave behind the negative.
If we begin to #GrowKindness in our homes that will spread. Anyone that visits our home will be infected with the #GrowKindness cure and hopefully take it back to their home to rid it of the cancer of hatred. And so on and so on until hate is driven out of every home thanks to kindness. Kindness takes strength and character. Let’s work to build that sort of strength and character into our children.
I considered making this a challenge. We all love challenges! But this is so much more than something trendy. This has to become a way of life. And no, when you #GrowKindness it doesn’t mean you allow others to walk all over you and insult your beliefs. It simply means that when you respond you respond from a place that can help #GrowKindness in the instigator. You don’t fight fire with fire because it causes more fire. The same with hate. If we keep trying to battle it with more hate than we will soon be living in a world where there is nothing but hate. I refuse to allow that to happen. My daughter is too important and so are your children. Let’s trump the hate through love and kindness.
