I had an interesting conversation the other day with a young man who told me about a neat experience he’d had. He’d recently graduated from high school and was striking out on his own. He told me about this one time, Senior year, there was a kid in his class, just sitting by himself. The guy I was talking to said he said, “Hi” to his classmate. They didn’t know each other, but engaged in some light chit chat.

At the end of the year, the classmate approached the young man who had greeted him. He said, “Thank you. You changed my life.” Turns out, that very day, the classmate was going to leave town and move back home to a dysfunctional, hopeless situation. It was a sad decision, but he had no friends, and he didn’t feel welcome at the school. He was alone and depressed. The simple fact that someone said “Hi” to him and treated him like a human being changed everything. This tiny act of kindness gave him hope. It made him feel validated. It gave him a sense of self-purpose. Rather than go home to a hopeless situation he decided to believe in himself, finish school, and take a meaningful direction in life.

A simple “Hi” changed this kid’s life for the better.

Be kind. That’s all. Be kind to yourself. Be kind others. Be kind to animals. Be kind to the planet. If humanity would learn this one, simple lesson: Be kind, our greatest problems would be solved.

Be kind.

Photo credits: @nasa on Unsplash