Spread Love, Spread Kindness.

By Aaliyah Moore

A few weeks ago, our hearts shattered as we processed the news that actor Chadwick Boseman had passed away. Many posts circulated social media, saying, “I didn’t even know he was sick,” or, “You never know what a person is dealing with.” It seems like every other post I read talked about how Chadwick still managed to give us greatness through film, even while battling a terrible disease like colon cancer.

But one thing stands right, and I believe Chadwick’s life and death is a testament to this:

You don’t even know what people are dealing with on the inside, or behind closed doors.

And while it may not be something as life-threatening as cancer, I’m willing to bet that everyone who’s reading this blog is dealing with something that people on the outside would never be able to tell. That’s life. We post our happy pictures on social media, but so often, an image never tells the full story. And truth be told, even the people you think you know the most are perhaps battling something they’ve never spoken.

But because we have access to everyone’s life now through social media, we think that automatically grants us the right to form opinions and make comments about people’s lives based on what we do or don’t see.

NEWSFLASH: It doesn’t!

And so I beg of you. Just be kind. As young children, we’re taught, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” and I think it’s time to reapply that lesson as adults. People are going through things that you’d never imagine, and sadly, they may never tell you that. But whether or not you know a person’s full story, you should still be kind just because it’s the right thing to do.

There’s a lot that’s wrong with our world and nation today, and unfortunately, I don’t have the remedy to fix all it all. But I do know something that seemingly makes the world a little brighter, and that’s love and kindness. So spread some today.