Going through life, you’re going to come into contact with some difficult people. Maybe you don’t like them, or they don’t like you. Either way, it can be hard to work with these people.
Something that my dad always says to me is to “kill ‘em with kindness”. He always stressed that even if you and a person don’t get along, you should always treat them with respect and should always be nice.
Growing up, I always doubted what my dad said. Why would I be nice to someone who was not being nice to me? It didn’t seem to make sense, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize what my dad meant.
This past summer, I worked as a summer camp counselor for the second year in a row. The coordinator was different from the previous year, and was brand new to the organization. Essentially, the other counselors and I were supposed to work as a team with the coordinator to ensure that the summer ran smoothly.
That didn’t exactly happen. From the very beginning, the coordinator was degrading to all the counselors. Even though we were only a step below her, were a couple years younger, and had been there longer than her, she acted like she was the queen and we were all peasants.
Even though I was treated with little respect all summer, I always walked into work with a smile on my face and said good morning to the coordinator. I would ask her how she was doing, a question that was rarely reciprocated, and then throughout the day I was nice to her as she barked orders to me.
Trust me, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I’m glad that that was how I handled it because I feel like I’m a better person because of it.
I would’ve felt awful if I spent everyday being rude to this person because that’s not the type of person that my parents raised me to be. I wouldn’t want someone to think of me as a horrible person who is mean to others and doesn’t respect people.
The bottom line is you should be nice to everyone who you come in contact with. Yes, it’s going to be difficult more often than not. But you just have to bite the bullet and treat people in a way that you would want them to treat you. I believe that everyone should try their hardest to be kind to others, regardless of the situation that you’re in, because in the end it makes you the bigger (and better) person.