Being Kind to People We Dislike

inspiration mindsetchallenge Feb 18, 2019

Isn’t it easy to be kind to people we like? However, being kind to people we dislike or hate isn’t something we usually do. Showing anger and disgust is simple, but redirecting your temper and being kind takes effort, mental power, and love. That’s why it shows strength. There are two reasons to be kind to someone you disapprove of:

1. When you’re kind to someone you don’t agree with, your arguments become more convincing. Don’t you immediately turn off to someone that is berating you? Don’t you lose respect for and tune out someone that is yelling? However, if someone is kind to you while they’re speaking, then you listen more, right? If they show understanding, don’t you want to hear them out? This is how kindness makes you persuasive and influential.

2. Renounce a person's actions you don't condone. However, show respect and true civility to your fellow human. We can hate someone’s actions or ideology and still recognize they have flaws as we also do. Why should we do this? Well, it helps us release our anger and frustration when we acknowledge that we’re all flawed. Also, it helps in our polarized society today. We can dislike someone’s beliefs and still love them at the same time. We do this with family members, so let’s extend this to others. It's what it truly means to “Hate the sin and not the sinner.”

Can't we all agree that the hatred in our political discourse holds us back? We all loathe how our politicians continually fight each other so let’s be the example. People will respond to kindness, and then we can find solutions to our problems instead of ignoring one another.

React with kindness, and your influence will expand in life, work, and in the world.

Arathi Ramappa is a certified executive coach, certified spiritual life coach, speaker, and management consultant who helps individuals thrive in life and business. Using the concepts of emotional intelligence, self-compassion, and mindfulness, Arathi has helped clients start their own businesses, develop leadership skills, diminish conflict in relationships, implement positive behaviors, and increase confidence.

Arathi offers one-on-one coaching and emotional intelligence and conscious principles workshops to organizations. She created the EASE approach to help others Explore, Analyze, Strengthen, and Empower their thinking to identify and conquer obstacles to success and change their lives and businesses.

With twenty years of experience in business management coupled with certifications in coaching and emotional intelligence, Arathi’s background as a serial entrepreneur and a veteran in the start-up space has provided her with extensive cross-functional knowledge that she can apply to any situation or client. She has managed teams globally in places such as India, Japan, China, Germany, Canada, Taiwan, Eastern Europe, as well as the U.S., and has worked with a wide range of clients including from the financial, healthcare, cybersecurity, and fashion industries, among others.