Read…..
We all (or most of us anyway) have words or phrases that we live by. For some, these might be poems; for others it might be Biblical phrases. We saw AJ Brown (the Eagles receiver) reading powerful phrases DURING an NFL game. Most of us, if asked, could come up with a quote that guides us. There’s a reason yearbooks show a graduate’s favorite quote.
Now having these words and living by these words doesn’t present a true overlap in too many instances. People say good words but don’t live by them. Sad but true. And this is especially troubling for those who profess religious faith and yet don’t actually live a virtuous and kind and caring compassionate life.
With the contentious cabinet appointment hearings upon us, I am struck by both the flaws in the nominees and the bitterness of the vetting and hearing process. Somehow or other, decency and kindness have fallen by the wayside yet again. And even for unfit nominees, might we be the better person by eliminating that angry nasty tone in our voices? Snarkiness isn’t a winning strategy in my book.
It is in this context that I just read about a school superintendent who resigned his position because of how badly two school board members treated him as he was undergoing cancer treatment. They asked him ridiculously invasive questions (and ones that undermined trust) based on news reports. Awful. Plain and simple. And even if he was a terrible Superintendent, there is still no reason to be mean.
I want to share a snapshot I took of the Superintendent’s words in his resignation statement. And they matter. But first…
A Teacher/Human Strategy First
And here’s an idea before I share the quotable words.
All you teachers out there, have your students of all ages come up with a quote that they can carry with them…guiding words, inspiring words, reminder words. They can illustrate them and laminate them. And ask them regularly to see if their deeds match their chosen words. Then help our students strive to have their words mirror their deeds.
Also, what if we left (anonymously) at the door of every mean person we encounter(ed) some powerful saying that undercuts and shows up these folks’ verbal abusiveness and meanness. Now that would have some power. Imagine the nasty person opening the door and finding and then holding inspiring words, thus becoming the living embodiment of irony and oxymoronic vistas.
A Super’s Powerful Words
Here are the quoted words from the Superintedent:
Words to take in … words to live by.
I should print out these words in multiple copies and laminate them. Then, I should give them out to those who have been mean and nasty to me in the past and get ready to give them to those who might be mean and nasty in the future.
I might just do this. So, fair warning: If you find these words at your doorstep, it isn’t because you are the paradigm of kindness. It is because someone thinks the words might send you a message about worthy behavior to consider implementing in your life….
There are sure benefits to spreading kindness. And despite the adage about killing someone with kindness, no one dies from being exposed to abundant kindness. They only die from its absence.
