A kind of a Kind Rebellion

A lot of people in this world suffer. They suffer great hardships, some impossible to fathom even. Childhood trauma, poverty, hunger, heavy workload, stress, abuse, desertation, loneliness, general suffering at the hands of others. Family, friends, coworkers, bosses, significant others, circumstances.

When a new person comes along, they don't know about this trauma, yet they are given the same, and the cycle repeats. It is infinitely easier to say " I suffered, so you shall too, it's the only way you'll learn." "I walked to school, so you shall too" "I was taunted by family, so I shall taunt you too, it builds character." "The industry is very tough, take up work, stay late hours, or you can find another job" "people are rude here, deal with it"

You know what's extremely hard to say...?

"I suffered, so I shall make sure you don't.

I didn't have anyone to guide me, so I will be the senior I never had.

The people are rude here, so I shall be kind to you.

I was taunted by relatives, I didn't like it, so I shall treat you with respect.

I didn't like walking to school, I think you deserve the bus.

You don't need to suffer to learn, I will teach you."

I have been lucky enough to see it all. Good mentors, strange bosses, and straight up rude dictators. I've been lucky to have family of all sorts, nurturing, rude, strict, lenient, the whole package. And I've been all of them at some point too. It's just that now I'm consciously trying to be at par with the kindest, and at least marginally better than the worst.

There are people in this world, who will see you as a god, if you see them as a human. That's the world we've built for ourselves. This goes for family, workplaces, and any human interaction that we are lucky to have. People will forget what you say, people will forget what you do. But people will never forget, how you made them feel.

This essay is brought to you by, my first month of being a paralegal. I delegated a few tasks to the office interns. I made sure they were given useful work. I made sure to give proper instructions. Made sure their work is valued and the same is communicated to them. I mare sure to give feedback once it was done. I made sure not to give them work after 6 pm and ask for it end of day. I made sure they left the office on time, and didn't have to work over the weekend for anything.

I REFUSE to put them through what a lot of us can relate to, and if the cost of that is my suffering marginally more, so be it. The cycle ends here. Amen.