Ways to fight back in the years ahead: Be kind

The early news from the Republican-led Congress is as bleak as I'd expected it to be.  Trump's behavior remains unsurprisingly consistent and upsetting.  Rather than dwell on them, I've decided to focus on positive ways to fight back, and I'll be writing a short series of these suggestions over the coming weeks.

Today's is simple:  Be kind.

Be kind, of course, to those in your immediate circle, your friends and family and co-workers.  This is the easiest one, because you know those people and you see them often.

Be kind to those you encounter who in those situations have less power than you.  The person cleaning your hotel room.  The server bringing your food.  The person with the leaf blower cleaning the walkway at your office building.  To so many people, these folks are invisible.  See them, and treat them with respect and kindness.

Be kind to those who may become targets in the U.S. ahead.  LGBTQ people.  People of color.  Muslims.  This list, sadly, is long.

Be kind to those you disagree with.  If you voted against and cannot stand Trump, fine; I'm with you.  But be kind to those who helped elect him, and try to understand why they did.

Be kind.  Period.  Treat all people with the kindness you would like them to display to you.  Model the way you wish not only people but companies and governments would behave.

Be kind.



Please note that I am not saying here to take abuse, or to avoid conflict; I'll talk about both of those situations in future entries.  As a general guideline, though, we could do far worse than to be kind.