One of my favorite pins says, ‘Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.’ It encapsulates one of the misconceptions of kindness – that to be kind is to be weak.

Let’s get one thing straight: being kind is not about being nice. While being nice is not a bad thing in general, often being nice is an outward action that is more about not rocking the boat than about acknowledging the human dignity of others.

Kindness, and the commitment to see the other as deserving of human dignity, demands of us to protest, resist, and do all that we can to fight that which says otherwise.

Bruce Reyes‑Chow, In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World