Nice.txt
When You Find Kindness in Short Supply
be nice when it doesn't serve you in any way.
be nice when you get nothing out of it.
be nice for the hell of it.
being kind is actually cool in a world that only popularizes rage.
being kind is truly "edgy" when the culture of the majority thrives on hate and disdain for others.
it's telling of a person when they immediately assume the worst of people, and it's even more telling when that person is suspicious of everyone who's nice to them. the only way to respond is by continuing to be kind, continuing to do your own thing, and they'll either come around or they won't, and it won't matter anyway. because the people who value you will show you constantly that it's you and your kindness that makes this world a better place. the ones that are important know your intentions and your heart.
being kind does not mean being a doormat, allowing for bigots, or opening yourself to harm from predators. extending that kindness to yourself by removing unsafe people from your world is just as kind as telling someone the truth compassionately, even if it hurts them for a moment.
so many bad things have happened to so many good people. what's the point in piling on? what's the point in making things worse for others? it doesn't make you feel better; and if it does, it's temporary and your fall into darkness feels so much harder. it's antithetical to our species: cooperation is how we survived and evolved; history has proven that cooperating and kind societies tend to be stable and prosperous; hormones are released to reward our brains when we're kind; and cooperation often yields better outcomes than working against each other.
my ethos is to try to leave this world a little bit brighter than it was to me, and do what i can that's in my control. that's all we can do, i think.