There comes a point in our lives when our childhood feels like a distant memory. I recently noticed how old I was when I realized that My Little Pony is now a show of nostalgia, even though I would have practically every episode of the series memorized as a kid. I used to love taking personality quizzes to see which of the Mane 6 I would most likely be and secretly cheat my way into getting one specific pony as the result: Fluttershy. Even though my true personality would always give me Pinkie Pie because of how unapologetically energetic I am, I was so drawn to Fluttershy’s element of kindness. She was the embodiment of who I wanted to be, selflessly giving and loving others despite differences in who we are and any conflict that we might experience with one another.
As I got older, I had this same feeling of being so drawn to this element of kindness when I learned about Harry Styles. I must admit that I did not really grow up listening to One Direction, so I had no idea who he was until he went solo. I also had no idea who he was until I started seeing the letters “TPWK” everywhere. For a good while, when I was still unfamiliar with this acronym, I was trying so hard to decode it, thinking it was some type of shortened phrase that we use daily. Eventually, after listening to the Fine Line album, I found out that “TPWK” literally meant “treat people with kindness,” and I fell in love with his music. In fact, I loved his music and message behind his discography so much that I often used Harry Styles as a symbol for my AP Lang Q3 essay arguments in high school.
But, there had to be something more than just the act of kindness that resonated with me so much. We are all inherently kind (or, I’d like to believe that we are) in our own ways, but it’s more than the act of being kind that is so beautiful. It’s the act of being kind when the world isn’t always kind to you, and learning how to love even when it’s not in your favor. Love is a difficult emotion to describe, and while we think it comes with time as we meet others and spend time with them, loving somebody unconditionally is a choice. It means remaining kind when they are not kind to you, which also embodies other acts like forgiveness, communication, patience, humility, open-mindedness and understanding. Kindness is ultimately an umbrella term that goes hand in hand with loving somebody, as you cannot love somebody without kindness and vice versa.
It’s difficult to give love to the world when you don’t feel like it is being reciprocated. Oftentimes in our society, interactions are seen as exchanges where one act of love has to be paid for by another act of love. But in reality, this isn’t how life works. Life is far too fluid to work on a strict exchange-based interaction system, and waiting to receive love before giving it to somebody else will only result in limiting yourself to feeling kindness. Especially in college, it could be difficult to keep this in mind because of how many people are trying to set themselves up for the best future while also intertwining their days with other members of their circles. Because of the independence that college provides, it can be difficult to remember that love is a choice. It means choosing forgiveness, communication and all these other elements when it isn’t the easy option. It doesn’t mean that you should always tolerate mistreatment, but to always remember somebody’s true intentions even when their current actions or words make it easy to question our ability to love them.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “If they wanted to, they would,” ultimately expecting somebody to go out of their way to do something for you, but then strategically excluding yourself from going that same limit for somebody else. Granted, there are always going to be times when somebody could manipulate you for your compassion and ability to love. But deep down, if you know that the relationship you have with somebody is based on a true connection, it’s important to remember that it takes both people involved to keep the relationship flourishing. If we expect somebody to make time for us and go out of their way for our joy, then we must also take the same time to put in that effort for that same person.
Through all the talk of Fluttershy and Harry Styles, I want to preface how important it is to remain kind and love others despite what’s happening around you. We currently live in a very polarized world, and differences often give us an excuse to stop seeing the other person as human. We are all going to be fundamentally different, but at the end of it all, we are all still humans. There is a way to speak out against injustices and inform others of shortcomings without lowering their status as human beings. There’s still a way to love somebody even if they are the complete opposite of you. But most importantly, there is still a way to love somebody even if you are going through a rough patch. The idea of kindness is important in this last statement, as it includes the embodiment of selflessly caring for somebody regardless of what adversity you’re going through. Lately, I feel as if we have lost this aspiration as a society, and it’s as if our experiences through hardships give us an excuse to stop being kind to the world and lower our ability to love others.
While I focused a lot on the community aspect of love and kindness, I also want to emphasize how important it is to maintain these ideas so that we can love ourselves to the fullest. Preventing ourselves from these emotions hinders our ability to care for ourselves, which then leaks into every other aspect of our lives, and not for the better. It’s a lot easier to tear yourself down than it is to build yourself up, but we wouldn’t be anywhere if we always neglected the more difficult route of life. So, I urge you to please love yourself. Learn to love others despite what else is happening so you can feel more at ease in your life, and feel comfort among yourself and your peers. There’s only so much time we all share, and it would truly be time wasted if it wasn’t spent with admiration, joy and endless love for one another.
Even if I was always meant to be Pinkie Pie, I still like to think that the little girl who tried to manipulate her way through these personality tests always knew the importance of kindness and love in our world. The act of kindness and loving others is not just a personality trait, it’s a choice that we all have the power to make every single day. And if there’s anything our world needs right now, it’s a little more love.