Being impatient or critical rarely benefits anyone.
Perhaps we just want to be right. But this might also harm relationships:
Being right is appealing. It seems to confirm your superior intelligence and knowledge. But needing to show that you’re absolute right can alienate others and damage your relationships.
Dan Clurman and Mudita Nisker
If we value relationships, kindness seems to be the solution.
The Marginalian has a nice summary of Tolstoy’s notes on kindness:
The kinder and the more thoughtful a person is, the more kindness he can find in other people.
Kindness enriches our life; with kindness mysterious things become clear, difficult things become easy, and dull things become cheerful.
Kindness is for your soul as health is for your body: you do not notice it when you have it…
Nothing can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.
I hope failing at being kind won’t be one of my regrets in life.
What confused me is that nowadays it is a bit difficult to define “kindness” or “being kind”. Sometimes people may think himself/herself are kind but other people won’t perceive in that way.
I will also read “Let’s Talk”.