Be Nice To Everyone You Meet. They’re Fighting A Battle You Have Absolutely No Idea About.

That jerk that cut you off in traffic yesterday… might just be a single mother hurrying to get home to her kids that she doesn’t see as often as she’s supposed to because of the long hours at her job.

That couple in front of you that’s walking extremely slowly might be simply trying to savor every moment they have left because one of them has just been diagnosed with cancer.

The rude sales lady that you complained about for hours after leaving the store might be struggling her way through her everyday life, trying to live on minimum wage from paycheck to paycheck, barely being able to afford her grocery bills.

The girl that you like to gossip about everyday because she’s rude and a complete “****”… might just be dealing with an alcoholic parent that doesn’t know when they’re taking it too far.

The teachers that you like to mimic and make fun of behind their back… might be crying themselves to sleep each night from how alone they feel.

The “geek” that sits at the lunch table alone with no friends that everybody points at and laughs… might just be dealing with an abusive father who has no concern for his or her welfare.

The famous singer that gave a “horrible performance” yesterday that everybody seemed to hate… might just have found out the worst news of their life… but held it in and came out anyway.

The girl in class that doesn’t know when to shut up and everyone calls “annoying”… might just like to talk a lot because they’re afraid of the thoughts in their head when they’re quiet.

The “nerd” that you like to make fun of everyday because they study too much and never have time to hang out – they might just see their family barely surviving with the paycheck - and striving to make a better future for their children.

The member on your project team that doesn’t seem to ever have time or put in an effort – might just be taking care of their entire family because of a father that’s never home and a mother that has other concerns than her children’s welfare.

The cashier you just yelled at for not getting your order right (Or the employee you just yelled at for not getting a customers order right) – might just be having a terrible day after finding out his father was laid off and his mother was leaving them.

Your friend that you just hung up on because you were to pissed off to talk might have needed a shoulder to lean on after being yelled at by numerous people.

The friends you feel like don’t put enough of an effort into your friendship – might be dealing with things you can’t even begin to grasp – and unable to fake a smile when hanging out anymore.

Truth is, we let our emotions get the best of us, and never really consider how they can affect other people. We talk about others because it’s “fun” but fail to consider how hurt they would be if they heard those things. We don’t place enough importance on how others might be feeling, how the things we say and do can be really hurtful. Everybody has battles they’re facing, struggles that they go through. None of us are perfect, and we all fall short of the person we strive to be. Most of us say we don’t care about what others say or think… but speaking for myself, I know if I heard something bad that was sad, it would hurt me and upset me. And there are a lot of others that would be hurt and upset by the things we say as well. So let us take a moment to consider how the things we say and do can have the power to make or break a person’s day. Everybody’s feelings matter. Our job is to make people as happy as possible… not find ways to bring them down even further. So let’s forget the gossip, the hate, and the anger we carry… but promote the happiness && love instead =)