When I first entered primary school, I used to be teased by my classmates and schoolmates because of my name. My name is Charles Siaw and I was being taunted and called names such as Char Sior (meaning roasted pork in Hokkien) or Char Sior Png (roasted pork rice). I used to wonder why did my parents gave me the Charles, but I can’t really blame them because my surname Siaw actually means mad in the Hokkien dialect. These students who called me names thought that they are being clever or witty but in reality what they did was cruel.
A lot times, people make jokes by making fun of others or by putting others down, and when others laughed, they thought they are being clever or witty. They are not being considerate and do not care who bore the brunt of the joke. Being clever or witty is a gift, not everyone can spontaneously funny or can come out with a one liner at the split of a second. But if that gift is being used to put someone down or to taunt someone, then that gift is being wrongly used to hurt someone instead of being used to help others.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong being clever but you should not show how clever you are at the expense of others and by putting others down. As humans, we have a tendency to try to put ourselves above others because of our own insecurities and to inflate our ego.
Being kind on the other hand is a choice. It is not something that we are automatically born with but something that we learned or acquired. In our interactions with others, we can deliberately choose to treat others with respect and kindness. Small acts of kindness may not require much effort on your part but it can make a world of difference to the recipient. At the same time people who are kind are more happy and fulfilled because there is a sense of satisfaction from being kind. People may not be impressed by your cleverness but they will surely be impressed by your kindness. I can’t really remember who among my classmates are clever just as I can’t forget who among my classmates were kind to me.
Therefore choose to be kind instead of the need to show how clever you are. If you have the need to show how clever you are, then you need to work on being more confident about your self-worth and that is a new topic for another post.
So do you agree with me, let me have your thoughts on this. When you meet new people, what is it about them that impressed you the most?
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Do check out my previous posts.
My Trans-Mongolia Railway Pictorial Journey Part 3: From Intriguing Irkutsk To Magnificent Moscow
Color Challenge Sunday Purple: Acrobatic Show
Good Is Not Good Enough If You Can Be Better: 7 Steps Towards The Best Of You
My Trans-Mongolia Railway Pictorial Journey Part2: From The Wilderness Of Mongolia To Splendid Siberia
Let The Worst Moments Of My Life Bring Out The Best In Me
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Charles
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