Essay, Research Paper: The Worth Of Kindness

The Worth of Kindness

Everyone has feelings including those who act as though they don't therefore , in our

everyday walk through life we must be considerate and stay sensitive to those around us.

Staying open to others hurts and knowing they may be struggling through lives battles ,

one must remember to be kind. The kindness and understanding we give may be life

changing to that person.

I have always been willing to give kindness but I have never had the chance until now.

When I was fourteen years old this became real to me when I met a nice girl that I

became friendly with. Outwardly she was fun and seemed happy. The strange part was I

began to see her react in fear and despair in very simple situations. These reactions did

not make sense to me ; sometimes she would cry for no apparent reason. Then I learned

she had been molested and violated by her grandfather ; now things began making sense.

Because of the kindness and understanding I showed to her the first time we met until

today , she has been able to open up and receive much healing. I listened to her when

nobody else would and let her know that she truly had a friend in me. I learned she felt

betrayed and she was scared to trust people. Whenever we were around adult males she

became very quiet and distant. At school she acted as if she was alone. She rarely spoke

in class and didn't associate with people when she was out of school. I knew she needed

healing of her heart and mind. She began to spend time at my home and our whole family

took part in giving to her kindness and understanding. After four months she began to

trust again. She began to trust my dad and that trust that she allowed my dad to have

developed into a trust she gave to everyone. Since she has done all of this growing she

has become a very outgoing person. She has lots of friends in school and out , and has

become involved in many activities.

I have also observed my mother giving so much kindness to others all my life , and

watching these people that were troubled change before my eyes. I can remember a

situation when my mother had received a phone call at home from a desperate friend in a

phone booth. He was threatening to commit suicide , by shooting himself. This man was

a policeman who had seen and experienced so much hate he was ready to end his life. My

mom was cooking dinner but stopped and made this call top priority , for this man was in

agony. The kindness and love she showed this man helped him to put his gun down.

After this call my mom continued to call to see how he was doing and to make sure he

sought counseling. This man is now changed and has taken his despair and turned it to

hope. He now works with troubled children because someone offered him hope and

kindness.

Once my whole family had the chance to help some people. One night I was asked by

a high school friend to give three new Mexican immigrants and their children a ride to

7-11 so they could use the phone. I picked them up and on the way there , to my surprise

, I found out they had been abandoned by one of the woman's husbands. Four days earlier

he had taken all of their money out of the bank and went back to Mexico. These women

and their children hadn't eaten anything for three days. They were desperate and hungry.


Because of one simple act of kindness in being willing to give a ride to this family it

opened a door for me to offer food and help to this family. I shared this problem with my

mom and aunt and it gave us a chance to chip in and rescue these helpless people. We all

donated money and helped these mothers find and rent an apartment for them because

they had been living in a small camper. We also we helped them find full time jobs to

support their children and provide the necessities needed for everyday life. These people

are now living independent and happy lives. Because of all the help we have given them

they consider us a part of their family. This is how one act of kindness dominoed and led

into defeating a battle of despair and hopelessness.

These acts of kindness have become a way of life for me , and the memories of a little

kindness given to others goes a long way. These memories are comforting to me and are

very rewarding. More rewarding than anything this world has to offer. Kindness is

something money can't buy , but it is a choice , and it is mine.

One thing is for sure ; you are never on the losing end when you are the giver of

kindness. I believe the satisfaction of seeing the joy of those you have helped is worth the

trouble. I look for every opportunity to be a giver and not a taker because it has become a

way of life for me. I find one of the best ways for me to defeat my own battles in life is to

give from the kindness of my heart.