sincere kindness is invincible

We have all been treated badly by someone in our past, and this may happen sometime in the future as well. Maybe in the past you responded to bad treatment with bad treatment and mean comments with mean comments. Maybe you remained calm and held yourself back, keeping your distance from that person. But what if next time such a scenario happens, you respond to rudeness with unconditional kindness? What impact do you think your sincere kindness will have on that person? 

Many people will shower you with nasty and pointed remarks and try to instigate you out of no apparent reason, and they would expect you to respond in the same way. After all, hatred begets hatred, right? But what if you hold your horses, find the space within, and respond with absolute kindness? It’ll baffle your adversary, and they won’t know how to respond to you. Chances are they would actually feel ashamed and embarrassed for their snarky behavior. 

Outer meanness and rudeness is simply a manifestation of inner insecurity and weakness. And when you show your kindness to the cruel bunch, it reverses the equation and the situation, and you elevate both yourself and other folks. As a result, everyone becomes better. 

Kindness is not a virtue of weak people, it is embodied by people of incredible strength and power. You have access to that strength and power as well, all you have to do is be kind under all circumstances. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Kindness is invincible, but only when it’s sincere, with no hypocrisy or faking. For what can even the most malicious person do if you keep showing kindness and, if given the chance, you gently point out where they went wrong— right as they are trying to harm you?”