Kindness and Why it Matters

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Imagine you’re at your favorite fast food restaurant and the person making your food messes up the order. Perhaps, you asked them not to put cheese and then when you get your burger there are two slices melted on top. You might be offended and feel like screaming at them. You may even think they did it intentionally. So, you yell at them and slip a few curse words in there for good measure. Now, they are offended too. Assuming the situation doesn’t escalate further, they correct your order and you leave feeling like you got your way.

Now, think about the situation further, maybe that food server comes from a less fortunate background and was trying to make some money to pay their bills and provide for their family. All morning and afternoon they have had customers like you yelling at them for every little thing that goes wrong. Maybe yours was the first mistake they made all day. Maybe when you offended them, they decided to tamper with your food. Maybe the next time you are in that restaurant, they decide to mess up your order again, intentionally this time. You have no way of knowing their story, but if you approach the situation differently, with more kindness, things could have gone better for both sides.

You could politely say, “Hey, this isn’t what I asked for” and in most cases, they would realize the mistake and correct it properly. Most people in that situation, would probably feel a little embarrassed and take responsibility for the error. You would most likely get an apology instead of their defensive words and actions. Also, the food server would likely learn from it and try harder to make the correct order next time. This way, other customers would benefit from your kindness as well, instead of feeling uneasy from observing your behavior.

This was just an example of one situation. Either way, you get what you want in the end, but one outcome is more preferable because it benefits you as well as everyone else involved. There are many other cases in life where kindness can have a great impact and change the entire outcome. Sometimes, things are out of your control, but if you choose kindness, and decide not to take it personal when someone does something you don’t like or agree with, you will find that things go a lot better overall. You may even find yourself happier than you have been in awhile.