Periodically, on Poetry Pop, you will see a Zen Pop blog post. These posts are my way of sharing on a personal level and giving you a bit of poetic encouragement while traversing this beautiful (and often challenging) thing we call life.

Lately, it feels like a dark shadow has settled over our lives. Every time I open a screen, or turn on the news, I’m met with hateful words spoken from behind the safety of anonymous screens, wishes of harm thrown like daggers toward strangers, and a bitter division that seems to feast on hostility.

I find myself asking: What has become of us?

How did we reach a point where wishing failure or harm upon another human being became okay? How did we lose sight of the basic truth that behind every username, every differing opinion, and every stranger’s face is a human carrying burdens we know nothing about?

Growing up, my parents taught me, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” When I became a mother, I passed this same lesson down, hoping to plant seeds of empathy in the next generation. It makes me sad to see how easily those simple truths are forgotten in the rush of social media trends and mob mentalities.

What scares me most about all this anger is that our kids are watching. Every time someone posts a nasty comment or yells at a stranger, young eyes are taking it all in. Children mimic what they see. If we constantly spew anger and hostility, what are we teaching them? Are we blindly raising the next generation of haters? Are we gifting them a cracked foundation to build their life upon?

I refuse to let hostility into my life. I choose to love people—regardless of how they look, what they believe, or how we might differ. Protecting that peace isn’t always easy, though. Recently, it meant making the painful decision to walk away from a long-time friendship. It wasn’t about disagreement in views—I treasure the diverse perspectives among my friends and family. It was about the constant leak of hatred and hostility that began to corrode my peace. There is already so much darkness in the world; I cannot allow it space in my inner circle.

I’ve disagreed with others and I have been hurt deeply by people in my life, but I never wish them harm. Because I know that hate isn’t an answer—it’s a weight. The world doesn’t need more anger disguised as strength. It needs our gentleness. It needs us to remember how to listen, how to pause, and how to handle a difficult situation with grace.

We need to do better. For ourselves, and especially for the children who are learning how to treat others by watching us. Please, choose kindness. 💕

Let Kindness Lead the Way

The world is loud and angry now,
mean words on glowing screens.
People forget what kindness is,
they forget what caring means.

My parents taught me: Be polite,
be kind in all you do.
I passed those simple words along
to my darling children, too.

Our little ones are watching us,
they learn from what we show.
If all we give the world is hate,
that's all they'll ever know.

Protect the quiet in your soul,
and choose the words you say.
To give our kids a brighter world,
let kindness lead the way.

—Danna Smith at Poetry Pop. All rights reserved

How do you protect your inner peace when the world feels too loud? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s make this space a reminder of how powerful kindness can be.