The most important lesson I have ever learned was from my mother. At a young age she told me to treat others with kindness. She would say treat others how you would want to be treated. Sometimes it can be hard to be nice to people, because they aren't always nice back. I try my hardest to be nice to people, but on occasion I have said some negative things.

Once in the third grade I told a girl I didn't want to be her friend anymore, and that she should leave me alone. I had good reason not to want to be her friend anymore, but I didn't go about breaking it off the right way. I think about how I could have went about it differently all the time, but how do you end a friendship with kindness, and still get your message across? She was a very stubborn girl, and didn't like to listen to what you had to say. So my third grade self thought the only way to get her to listen was to lash out. But now I realize that there are many other mature ways to get someone's attention, or even to break their heart. Breaking someone's heart is never a pleasant thing, but you can try to cushion the blow as you deliver the news.

My favorite quote is "Be kind, for everyone you meet fights a harder battle" by Plato. I like this because it make you think about the person you are being mean too, you never know what is going on in their lives. We all have problems, and can't assume we are the only ones with them. This girl was very mean to me, along with just about any one she interacted with, and she lied constantly. I had no idea why she did this; all I knew was that I didn't like it, or her.

Later I found out she had a terrible home life, She was poor, and her family didn't pay attention to her. She wore the same clothes to school most days, and her hair was greasy, all of the kids would make fun of her. I now realize this girl acted out for attention because she didn't get it home. I now realize that wearing the same clothes everyday was out of her control. I now realize that this girl had her heart broken time after time, and my third grade self only added to her pain, a pain that was only going to get bigger, and she would have it for years to come.

As we grew up I watched as her life continued to spiral out of control. She had more issues with bullying, and threatened suicide a couple of times. I never knew if it was a real issue, since I never talked to her, and she lied so much I never knew what the truth was. I have always felt sorry for her, but never knew what to do; because I couldn't be her friend after all we had been through.

Always treat others with kindness, for kindness is the key to happiness, not just for others, but for you too. You never know what people have going on in their lives, because there is always reason for why people are lashing out at others. People will have to fight hard battles in life, and so will I, so I've learned not to add to their pain, like I did with the girl in third grade, and just treat everyone with the respect and kindness I would want for myself.