I just bought a new-used truck from a dealer. The company slogan is on the advertising license plate holders that come with the vehicle: “Believe in nice.” That’s a really nice motto.
Believing in something and doing the something one purports to believe all too often don’t go together. Kind of like what I call a practical atheist . . . which is a person who claims to believe in God but acts as if God doesn’t exist. If one says he or she believes in something but generally acts to the contrary, he or she really doesn’t believe in the something.
“Believe in nice” is a way of saying that being nice makes the planet a lot more pleasant place to live than being nasty . . . not to mention enhancing the quality of the individual nice-doer’s life. It’s really not that difficult, and the rewards for oneself and all others around are significant.
A fourth-grade student surreptitiously slipped a folded note onto her teacher’s desk. When the teacher noticed it, he read: “If you feel good, would you please notify your face.” I hope the note motivated the teacher to contemplate how he was coming across to students, and that a conscious effort to alter his behavior might be a serious consideration.
The famous chef Wolfgang Puck said: “It is easier to be nice than to be nasty.” I would add to that: be nice or be a hermit. But recognize that most hermits don’t have a lot of fun . . . and being nice generally results in tons of fun.
