So, with everything going on in the news recently regarding the unfortunate and tragic situations where celebrities have felt the only option was to take their own lives, the phrase ‘Be Kind’ has become thrown about at will. The questions is, what is being kind?
Working with a client recently, they mentioned that they had a family member going through hard times and they were struggling in knowing how to deal with them. Even though they knew that this person was behaving in a way that was harming their future, they were so worried that if they said the wrong thing it could really send them off the rails. So what did they do? They tried to be kind, to only say nice things and to not bring up anything that could be a potential trigger. This was their idea of being kind. My view? They were being very unkind. By saying nothing they were also allowing, and even facilitating, a behaviour that could cause huge issues further down the line.
I think there is a degree of truth in the phrase “Be cruel to be kind”. Obviously I don’t like the idea of being cruel to people, but sometimes we do need to tell people harsh truths. It may cause them to be upset there and then, but if it also helps them make different choices and take a different path in life then surely that can only be a good thing? If you know you are saying something for the right reason, and that it was for the greater good, then surely that can be considered Being Kind?
Just a few thoughts,
Luke
Comments