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I have observed that in this day and age, with the rise of social media and the fact that people can't seem to keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves... kindness can be hard to come by.
For the record, I left social media and the internet a long time ago. This account, here, is all I'm willing to have. But this is one of the reasons I left: people are just mean sometimes. There seems to be a rise of people hiding behind a profile picture, behind a screen and just being mean in other people's comments for no real reason. People just seem to think that's it's a-okay to be assholes to others on the internet. I know a lot of those times, the solution is to go outside and talk to some real people because in public, for the most part, people are nice.
Being kind to strangers often makes it easier to be kind to yourself. I find that smiling at strangers when we accidentally meet eyes makes me happy. Talking to strangers is rather fun. I may never see them again, but the brief connection is important. It's human. We are social animals, so why do people seem to think that being nasty on and offline is all cool? Some people are putting up a front to protect themselves, maybe. And while I understand that, I know that that doesn't make anything better.
I am aware that some people struggle with being kind to strangers, much less themselves. In a world where people don't fully trust each other or see each other as threats, kindness is put on a back burner. Being polite, open-minded, tolerant and kind is to be human. But being nasty, judgemental and defensive is also human. We are flawed creatures.
Watching Superman (2025) changed my life a bit, frankly. The whole emphasis on empathy, love and kindness really did make me stop and reflect. When it came out, when I watched it, something in me changed. I've always been a nice and polite person (however, excuse my teenage years), but that film made me want to be an even better person. I've always wanted to be kind and to be a good person, who doesn't... But having Superman being this symbol of hope and genuine kindness, materialised that need for a lot of people. I know some people who saw the film and came back out actively seeking out ways to help others. It's beautiful.
I also know that people nowadays have this fear of being perceived as 'cringe' in some way. People are scared to be judged for being themselves, so they minimise their own personalities to fit into this idea of 'acceptable'. I feared the same for years, but I learned that not being myself was more damaging to my mind than not fitting into social norms. The phrase, 'I may be cringe, but you're mean and that's worse', comes to mind.
Linking to that, people now seem to equate being kind and empathetic to 'being cringe'. People are (or were) following this thought that if you didn't have an air of mystery or you weren't aloof, you were 'caring too much'. Which is stupid because you can never care 'too much'. Phrases like 'did I ask?' are thrown around, and I find it demoralising and just mean. Shutting people down when they talk about things they like is just impolite.
We, of course, have the right to choose how we respond to situations. Some people choose to be amiable and some people don't.
Kindness, in modern times isn't just about helping others anymore. It's important to be kind with words, with insinuations, not just deeds. This may all sound silly to some people, I might not even be making coherent sense. But I feel this needs to be said.
Smile at strangers, some may smile back.
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Neon
I agree, especially on how you said that maybe people put up a front to protect themselves. Modern social media has strayed so far from it's original promise of connecting people together. It has gone in the complete opposite direction nowadays. Isolating people to the extreme so it's easier to advertise to people and keep them hooked on their platform. Out in the world today, I've noticed more people on FaceTime in public, talking loudly to someone wherever they go. If they aren't talking to someone on the phone, they're pretending to have a conversation with an imaginary person, sometimes even without a phone. I have a theory that this behavior is caused by a growing dissociation with existing in public spaces among other people. Some people have been conditioned to remain inside their own digital bubbles with the same family and friends they've been comfortable with for years. When they go outside in public, they feel uncomfortable and need to dial up someone and carry them around with them on their phone while they shop, get gas, drive in their car, or walk down the street. Every time I'm in public, I see one of these people talking very loudly to make it known that they are unavailable to the outside world.
This right here.
I find that the more connected the world has become digitally, the less connected people are with the moment.
by galileo; ; Report
Yes, and when I observe these people having calls in public, and they seem nervous. Not holding the phone to their ear as if they are having an important conversation, but clutching it to their side, having an idle conversation as they go about their day. Whenever I make eye contact with them, they either look at me in nervous anticipation as to what I might say, or in cold defensiveness, as if I might pop their bubble by interacting further.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's interesting to think about how the modern digital landscape may have changed the way strangers interact in public.
by Neon; ; Report