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Inspiration Coffee
Mrs Wade made me a cup of coffee this week. Not a frothy cappuccino or a luxurious latté, but a black instant coffee without milk.
It was the nicest drink I had all week.
No, the ingredients weren’t special, and neither was the cup – or the location in which I drank it – but the sentiment was 100% #BeKind; Mrs Wade realised it was a busy day and that the next coffee might be some considerable time into the future.
I have frequently seen the quote,
– or a version of it, circulating on social media from time to time. Often it's after an individual uses the power of social media to tear into someone else from a position of relative anonymity online.
It serves as a reminder to stop for a moment and reflect; to look at the bigger picture, some of which you can’t see from where you are.
The English Department have encouraged us this year to explore the etymology of the words we use – where do they come from, and how have they evolved? Our study of a keyword’s etymology can often help us understand its meaning and, additionally, its spelling.
When I looked into the origins of the #BeKind quote, what I found was very interesting:
- It's often attributed to Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher;
- It's also believed to have been attributed to Reverend John Watson, in a book called Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush which was a best-selling title in the 1890s;
- Someone appears to have used Watson’s name as a pseudonym when sending a very similar quote into a New Jersey newspaper (the social media of its day) in 1957, long after Watson’s death in 1907;
- In 1932, newspaper quotes of this type were made in reference to World War I.
So far, so confusing! However, what the history does show is the importance of being kind throughout the ages – whoever first stated the phrase, or a version of it.
The origins of the sentiment are muddled, but the fact that it persists since ancient times shows just how important it is to show empathy. To understand that we can’t possibly know the the full extent of what is going on in other people’s lives; certainly not enough to make a judgement.
We have the choice about whether to build someone up or to undermine them; to support or to destroy. I would suggest, in our modern times – where social media allows comments to be made instantaneously and without thought – we need a reminder to #BeKind more than ever.
Have we all been impacted by the pandemic in the same ways? Definitely not.
Can we presume that our own thoughts and experiences are the same as everyone else’s? No.
Can we develop empathy towards one another, in order to understand how we all feel? Most definitely, yes!
So, to return to the quote that may or may not have been written by Plato:
Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
How can you #BeKind? And thank you, Mrs Wade, for my inspirational coffee!
Discover more about your favourite quote at www.quoteinvestigator.com