A fellow teacher once snidely remarked, “Politeness doesn’t work for our students. You’ve got to be strict and even rude. Also, what do you get by being kind to your students? None of them are going to help you in any way.”
I said nothing even though I disagreed with her. My views will not change hers, just as her views will not change my principles.
That teacher colleague’s views are not in the minority. In fact, many are of the view that your kindness is your weakness. Kindness is your foolishness. It’s your doom.
This is a flawed perception of kindness. To equate kindness to foolishness is a misjudgement. Kindness and foolishness are not synonyms.
Another misconception is the equation of kindness to martyrdom. That’s an unhealthy definition of kindness—again, untrue.
Kindness begins with respecting yourself. Knowing your true worth and what you stand for and not. Once you define that, your kindness will make you set boundaries that’ll protect you against people who don’t mean well. In that aspect, kindness is not foolishness. Kindness is wisdom and discernment.
Kindness starts from within. Being good to yourself and filling your own cup first, before you can pour to others—ensuring that yours is always full. Kindness to yourself can look like anything from positive self-talk, daily self-care that starts with the physical and ends with the spiritual, and investing in mental stimulation like learning and development.
Kindness also means standing up for yourself and the right causes. It is anything but weakness. Kindness is courage because it means standing up for the truth.
Kindness is strength. It’s your superpower.
*This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023
