Be A Nice Human Being

By: Ghufran El-Katatney

Be a nice human being.

Seems logical. We’ve all grown up with “be nice” on repeat by our parents. “Say hi to tante idontknowwho, Ghufran. Play with her daughter. Smile. Be nice!” But regardless of what we’ve grown up to believe, “being nice” seems to be a rarity in our everyday life.

“Nice” people are usually seen as weak. It’s totally acceptable, expected even, for us to walk all over nice people. And no one wants to be a doormat. And so we need to be not nice to be respected. Engaging with some small talk with the waiter who’s making your coffee is a strange thing to do. A sincere “how’s your day?” is a question that’s usually replied to with a confused question mark in return.

Girls aren’t nice to one another, let alone to themselves. Small talk revolves around behaviors and stories from one girl to another. You would think that the whole team should stick together and encourage one another, but no. The opposite is the sad reality. We tear each other down, not build ourselves up.

Guys aren’t nice to their mothers, and a general “Good guys finish last” motto seems to be circulating. If sympathy, kindness and respect is not shown to the one person who brought you into this life how do you expect to raise a family and take care of a woman?

We grow up learning to share our toys and to make space for our siblings in the car. But do we share now? Do you share your time with the elderly at an old people’s home? Do you stop your car to help out someone with a busted wheel? Do you share a joke with your sayes while you hand over your car keys for him to park?

There’s no doubt that this country is going through a difficult phase right now, but small actions from nice people make a much bigger difference than you can possibly imagine. And as cliche as it may seem, the truth is that if you’re spreading good vibes there’s no doubt they’ll come right back round to you.

(And yes, I am aware that not everyone is a mean asshole).

So go on. Do something nice today. Make it a mission to do one nice thing every day. Any little thing. Call a friend you haven’t seen in ages and say hello. Make your mom a cup of tea. Wait for a pedestrian to cross the street. Whatever it is, trust me, you’ll feel better for doing it, and it will make a difference.