To be sure, there are tabloid-headlined cults and vampire-esque, antisocially behavioral anomalies, perhaps an invisible-dog-whispered cannibalistic minion or two, but the evolution of human civilization has, at both its mythological and historical core, a deep tap root into the concept and expectation of kindness.  It appears in almost every communicated dogma as a lauded trait central to our humanity.  There’s the, “Do unto others…”, that shows up in various forms of religious literature, Aesopian moralizing, gallant, chivalrous exploits of knights and legendary heroes and the mottos and sloganeering of youth and social organizations promoting our better nature or, at the very least, a congenial reason to share a chilled, bubbly beverage.  The concept is simple enough and its power would seem to have an intoxicating impetus, reaching out in god-like benevolence to lighten the load or buoy the burden of another…right?

Fairly, most of us claim kindness but, more fairly, it would be of the selectively hybrid variety; when the recipients are worthy; if we have the time; if it’s not too much trouble.  How many of us have looked away or simply walked on by without a smile, a word or a bit of emotional or monetary assistance for someone in need?

Even after millennia of practice, we humans suck at kindness.  We have regularly suspended compassion based on skin color, creed, nationality, religion, social status, cultism, fashion sense, idealism, lack of idealism, warring and bullying while perpetually jockeying for the power and stature to be a dole-r rather than a dole-e.  In the word of our Unkinder in Chief…”sad”.

This is where I would normally apologize for my penchant for over-generalization…not today.  Yes, I could endlessly begin listing acts of good will in column A, but on the “kind/no kind” comparison chart, the right-hand column would be endlesser…by far.  Sure, all you need is love which, I’m told, makes the world go ‘round, but even lovers are too often unkind.  So, as we watch, many of us in abject horror, the overt lack of caring trickling down from our leaders, (both elected and imposed), into every crevice of the social order, we must insist, uncompromisingly, if for no other reason than we may be in need of it one day, that kindness is king.

There…I fixed everything.