From the time they can understand empathy, we teach our children to be kind to others.  Patience, understanding, respect…..virtues that they’ll carry with them for life. We hope.

When our kids misbehave, when they forget to show kindness, when they’re mean, we must step in. As parents, it is our job to remind them that we treat others as we would like to be treated.

Sadly, this seemingly simple lesson from youth can be lost on us as we navigate through the intricacies of adolescence and adulthood. In school, we find ourselves having to deal with bullies. In our professional lives, we encounter the same situation, in a different package. 📦 Weren’t we all taught the basic lessons of humanity?

No.

We find ourselves having to play defense in an unkind world. Bullies are the result of forgotten lessons. Or worse, lessons never taught. Although we cannot control or predict the erratic behaviour of these individuals, we own our reaction and response.

Not easy to keep cool 😎 in the face of angry, hateful words. But if we teach our kids, and ourselves, to seek resolve with fairness, kindness, and peace, the disruptive nature of the few, will be overcome by the humanity of the masses.

I write this on the eve of election day, with the news on in the background, acutely aware that these “simple” lessons need to repeated not only from generation to generation, but often throughout one’s lifetime.