Tomorrow, the sun will come up in the sky, babies will be born; joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure will share the dais, just like they will on Wednesday morning, and hopefully every morning after that.

However, the simple act of kindness is fleeting, fleeing or forever gone everywhere in our entire country, in our communities, and so often- in our interactions with each other who are right around the corner.

We are not a healthy country in this area of life. Blue screens have changed the way we speak to others. Only disasters now bring people closer together. Perhaps is it fear- the unending, ever present fear of being a victim of a random shooting in an ordinary place that is driving people to be oh-so-less than kind on a daily basis.

We are all fighting the same battles…but we think we are separate from each other. We are all connected by reason of living on this one small planet. It’s no accident that each of us is here. We have forgotten the gratitude of living as a human on a blue ball in the middle of an incomprehensible galaxy. We don’t take the time to see that we all suffer, we all have pain, and we all think we need “more” whatever it is that will keep us alive in this world full of violence. Evil wins when we don’t recognize it in disguise. Our churches are getting bigger (and smaller too) and the kindness factor is losing ground rapidly.

Is there a correlation here? Have we collectively forgotten the Golden Rule? Do we need to bring back confession only for the sole purpose of admission of unkindness to another person?

My daughter wrote a paper for her high school English class. This is the first sentence: “Everyone lies.” In two words she let me know that she can trust no one. This is not exactly what I wanted her to know about the world as she graduates. I want her to know about kindness. I want her to live kindness. I want us all to be kinder.

Naomi Shihab Nye wrote a beautiful poem on this very topic, called Kindness.

Peggy Barry Bartz

Orion Twp.