It Pays to Be Kind
I know this is a cruel world. We see people who behave badly enjoy massive success in life. We all wish we could do the same but our conscience forbid us to do so.
This leaves us with two choices, do we endorse and behave as bad them? Or we make the difficult choice of being kind? Sometimes our kindness may backfire and we pay dearly for our principle. If being kind is easy, the world would not be this chaotic. That's why kindness is never easy but essential.
I have an ex-colleague who lose his job due to organization restructuring. He was jobless for nearly six months. I would check on him on a monthly basis, making sure he is able to land on his feet. Eventually he found a job and we drifted apart as everyone were busy. We lost contact for nearly 9 years.
Lately, I received a call from him and invited me for lunch. He is now the Group CFO for a listed company. He wanted to thank me for caring and reaching during his lowest points. Little that I know that throughout the period of unemployment, no one in the office bother to reach out to him. His usual lunch group has become today's stranger. We caught up with our news and had a good time.
When he heard the nature of my business. He invited me to tender for his company's project. I still have to win the tender through merit but my chances are slightly better. As he would prefer to work with someone long term who has shown kindness rather than being profit driven.
This story may not have a fairy-tale ending yet but at least there is a glimmer of hope that being kind still pays.