J.J. Robinson

In a world that is obsessed with efficiency and results, it is odd that there can be so little thought behind one’s next move. The push for analytics and year-over-year growth and profits has become a blinding light that promotes the reduction of humans to mere numbers. Once exciting journeys traversing the internet and media have become disturbing treks through a wasteland of bad news. It is understandable how so many of us have become hopeless and pessimistic craving the time of day where we can revert back to our dark rooms away from civilization.

But, what if I told you that perhaps this doesn’t have to be the new reality? What if there is a powerful and readily available tool at everyone’s disposal that could become a driving force to such a grim-painted future? Sounds pretty great, huh?

Building off of the Dalai Lama’s wise words, the secret is short and sweet – kindness.

One thing that many have become numb tois the human element of our existence. Screens and the digital age have displaced genuine interactions and made it easier for us to simply “shut off”. This isn’t to say that genuine interactions can’t be had online – far from it. But, for some it can be difficult to decipher what may or may not be real to create that empathetic link with one another.

Far too often overstimulated brains may become caught up in a silly argument in a comment section, discouraged from the subconscious comparison to vast amounts of “perfect” lives seen on social media, or spiraling from the numerous doomsday articles by “news” outlets. All of these can have a compounding negative affect on our mental well-being. This negativity can quickly unravel and lead to actions or words that perhaps may not be what we intended.

Fortunately, using our readily available tool of kindness, we can combat this negativity.

In our society today, it is becoming ever so prevalent to worry about one’s brand. This takes the form of what we say and promote, what material item we show off, what our career is or simply what you happened to partake in professionally or in off-work hours. At the end of the day, though, none of this truly matters. No one will remember. Nor, will they care.

People only remember one thing – how you made them feel.