The World Is A Scary Place Right Now, So Always Choose Kindness

When I get up in the morning, one of the first things that I do is check the news. I’ll open the Reddit app, or type “news” into Google, as having the news app on my phone allows me too much access. I’ll scroll through all of the recent articles about new school shootings, murders, and corruption in our government until I get to a point where if I keep reading, I won’t get out of bed for a week. 

After feeling completely hopeless about all of the negative things I just read, I will get dressed as an effort to move past the feeling that my life is doomed. I’ll check the clock to see if I have time to make myself two eggs for breakfast before heading out the door to go to work. If I do end up making breakfast, I will feel grateful for the bit of protein I made for myself. If I don’t, I will inevitably wish I had made the time, because it helps me feel a little better throughout my day. After that, I’ll go to work at a job that I don’t love but can’t leave yet, and will try to ignore any memories about the articles I read that morning. 

It wasn’t until I graduated from college in 2021 that the world began to feel like a scary place. Before that, I had the privilege of knowing no matter what, I would be okay. It was just a feeling that I had in my bones most of the time. Maybe it was because I was younger and my brain was less developed. Or maybe it was because I knew that more people were looking out for me to keep me safe, so nothing too bad could happen. But right now is the first time I’m facing my life without a plan and without external guidance. 

I never really had a plan for a career when I was younger. I had wanted to be a singer when I was three, but I consistently talked myself out of it because I didn’t feel like I had enough talent. I cycled through many other ideas (marine biologist, dancer, music producer, writer, small business owner, and more), but nothing really stuck. I worried about what my career would be quite a bit, but I would then busy myself in my hobbies, friends, or school work and successfully distract myself. 

It didn’t really matter at the time that I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career, because at that time, my path was laid out for me. From kindergarten to 12th grade, and then again from freshman year of college to senior year, I was moving sequentially up the grades. Even though I was uncertain about the outcome, I could trust forward momentum was happening. But now there are no set grades to follow. It is up to me to design my own life how I see fit, within the constraints of what is realistic, given things like finances and my aptitudes. 

Maybe that is part of why the world seems so scary now—having the knowledge that I get to decide where my life goes from here. Maybe seeing the uncertainty of my own future echoing the uncertainty of the greater world at large is just too much sometimes. I’m 24 and life has never seemed so scary. Or maybe it’s because right now, many unprecedented things are occurring at the same time: potential nuclear war, threats to America’s democracy, continual rise of gun violence… all while the huge threat of global climate change is looming on the horizon. 

But like every cycle, all of the negativity that is coming up right now in the world won’t last forever. It just can’t. That is what I keep telling myself. I will change and grow and find a path forward. Just like the world will change and grow and eventually take action to make things safe again. Maybe the sentiment is foolish, because I know at least for a while things are going to get worse before they get better. But I have to believe that as long as I make smart decisions, take care of myself, and surround myself with good people, I’ll be okay. I’ll get through this period of life. I will figure it out, and so will the world. 

I’ve noticed the one thing that really helps me during all of this tension and uncertainty, both internally and externally, is being kind and receiving the kindness of others. A warm long hug where both people relax into it can do wonders for my anxious heart. The comforting words from my boyfriend can turn on the light in my previously darkened state of mind. A mechanic’s shop lowering the bill for car repairs so that I will have enough money to buy food and also get my car fixed can put a little of my faith back in humanity. These things all help to exist within the state of the world and the state of my life.

This is what I wish the news would cover more. The kind and every day gestures between humans that remind them for that moment, everything is okay. This is what I think we all need a little more of—the type of kindness that is genuine and really shows we are cared for. Life can be extremely hard sometimes. But when we take the time to connect and be there for ourselves and others, it can be a form of protection against the never ending bad news.

So, if you are reading this tonight, I wish for you to experience one kind thing from someone tomorrow and to do one kind thing for someone else. It’s hard not having any control over the bigger problems, but being able to do one small kind thing is a way to fight the darkness. And who knows, maybe eventually we’ll find that kindness makes the world a little less scary and a little more safe for everyone. 

p.s. Doing something kind for yourself counts too. You are also a human worthy of kindness!