Ephesians 4: 32 says, “Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.”

In this modern age, it feels like everything is broadcast online. It’s difficult to pinpoint where it began- was it the numerous silly reality shows? Was it the early Youtube videos of people dancing for fun on camera? Now, videos of people pranking others in increasingly rude ways are constantly trending online. Perhaps worse than these are the videos of people snapping in public. And no, I don’t mean the fun jazzy kind.

I think we’ve all seen videos of people losing their cool in public. They’re very often in retail stores, or restaurants, and often directed at people simply trying to do their jobs. It feels like there’s always at least one making the rounds at any given point in time. Rarely is there ever context- was it a mental breakdown? Was it entitlement? Did the employee perhaps provoke the person?

Regardless of context, something is missing throughout the situation: kindness.

Kindness goes a long way in defusing a situation. Compassion gives us a greater, more empathetic understanding of the struggles our fellow humans face. Whether you’re a retail worker or a raging shopper, kindness needs to be our default reaction once again. You may never see that person again, and you never know what they’re going through. If we all approached each other with a kind heart, an empathetic mind, and a compassionate soul, we could avoid these situations completely. Make every encounter with someone the best that you can- it’s exactly what God asks of us.