Imagine that you are in line at a grocery store. You are late for an appointment and there is a lady in the front of the line who seems to be taking forever to check out. After she puts all her items on the counter, the cashier gives her a total and she is unable to pay for the entire purchase. The customer tells the cashier that she will have to put some items back, which takes more time. The people behind this lady are getting frustrated and start to complain to the cashier that she needs to hurry, and that if she can’t afford to buy things why did she select them in the first place. They see her as a person who is not worth wasting their time in a line as they all have places to go and jobs to get to. The lady seems upset and tells them she is sorry. She then takes the few items she was able to purchase and leaves the store. The cashier is left with angry frustrated customers who complain that they will now be late.
Now imagine this same scenario but the customer behind the lady offers to pay for the additional items that she can’t afford. I am not saying that everyone should offer to pay for things for others unless they desire to do so. What I am expressing is how easy it is for us to come to wrong conclusions about others. We do not know what they are experiencing, what hardships they may be facing, or what problems they are dealing with. Why do we, as a population, get easily frustrated or offended by what others say or do? Everyone has a story, and everyone is facing issues that are hard and sometimes seem overwhelming.
The lady in the scenarios has just been diagnosed with cancer, her husband was just laid off from work as he is older and is nearing retirement. They are on an extremely tight budget and with inflation and the cost of her treatments, they do not have the money for everyday needs. The people in the first scenario only saw a poor older woman who was standing in their way and making them late for their jobs or commitments. How hard is it for us to show empathy to others and realize that we do not know what they are going through. There is an old saying that says “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” You should also not judge an individual by what you see or believe unless you have walked in their shoes and know what they are feeling, experiencing, or struggling with.
The other day, I had an experience with a customer that could have turned out bad. This customer came in extremely frustrated and angry at us and tried to blame us for a mistake that he had made months ago. He was upset because this mistake had cost him a fine and he was sure we had not done what he asked months ago. He later found out that the mistake was his. I was taking him back to his office as a favor and started to talk to him about his day. He expressed he was having issues at work with a supervisor and that the work environment was not positive and was affecting other aspects of his life. When I took this information into consideration, it was easier to understand him and his reactions to the predicament his mistake had caused. We were able to help him out and offered not to charge him for the service we did as a courtesy to help him with his fine.
Kindness is taking your positive mindset and spreading it to the world around you. You may not have the ability to change the world, but you can make a difference in the world of those around you.
Dr. Steve Mariboli stated, “Treat others with kindness. You never know what burdens people bear or what they are going through. You may have the power to lift their spirits or break them.” Positivity and kindness can go a long way with someone who is going through life’s struggles. We all have problems and struggle from time to time. Let us all be a little more empathetic with each other and make the world around us a more positive place to live.
By Charlyn and Eric Liechty