When You Think of Kindness, Please Think of Me

Well, the election is over.  I don't know how I feel about.  I didn't know how I truly felt about each candidate prior to the election, but I did do my research and tried to vote the best way I could.  I also didn't like talking about the upcoming election with others, and I wasn't sure why.  But now I know.

Hate. The answer is hate. The hatred I see coming from so many Americans truly scares me.  No side, Democratic or Republican, is immune.  I am scared that the "gray area" of understanding is shrinking.  I am scared that people are no longer listening to understand; they are listening to respond and argue (I am guilty of this at times myself).  And even if I disagree with someone, by listening to that person and trying to understand his or her side, I gain support for my own beliefs. By listening to them I might even gain new insight and understanding about his or her life experience. This understanding leads to empathy and compassion. No doubt we, as a country, need more of this.

Today as I started class first hour, students were arguing about late-term abortion.  I am not going to sway their opinions, nor is it my place to do so.  But it is my place to make them think.  I asked them, "What traits do you want to be associated with when others think of you? Kindness, empathy, compassion, understanding? Are your actions reflecting those traits?" As adults, parents, spouses, teachers, friends, we all have choices today, as do my freshmen students.  We have the choice to listen to others.  We have the choice to respect our differences.  We have the choice to walk away to avoid acting out of anger or malice. We have the choice. No one but me can choose what I do with my actions.  No one but you can choose what you do with your actions. So, choose wisely.

When you think of kindness, please think of me. I pray my actions reflect it. I pray my students see it each day. I pray it is the "tomorrow" I am working each day to create.