Be Kind to One Another...and stop complaining

If you've ever watched "Ellen", you know she ends every show by saying "Be Kind to One Another".  It seems like a simple concept.  Just BE kind.  I would guess that most of us would say that we are kind to others...but are we really?  Are we kind to only SOME people?  Are we really, truly kind to everyone we come in contact with?  
I'm the first to admit I'm not always kind.  I don't think I intentionally go out of my way to be unkind, but I know I have my faults.  I have thoughts and opinions that may seem unkind, but I am human and the idea of never having an unkind thought goes against human nature.
What I don't understand is why, as human beings, we love to point out others faults in such unkind ways.  (Shawn will be happy to attest to the rants I have subjected him to regarding this very subject).
Social Media and the Internet make it so easy to point out the perceived flaws of anything or anyone.  I first started recognizing how unkind people can be when I happened upon a "live tweet" of a random television performance.  As I read the criticism of every aspect of the show, I couldn't help but wonder why the person was wasting their time even watching the show in the first place if it's really that bad.  More importantly, why did they feel empowered to be the judge of the show?   Recently, I watched the Oscars and found people tweeting complaints about how long the show was running and when would it be over?  Here's a novel idea, CHANGE THE CHANNEL!  GO TO BED!  STOP COMPLAINING!
The Superbowl Half-time Show wasn't even over and people were weighing in on Katy Perry's performance.  It's easy to say that people who are celebrities put themselves out there to be criticized....true, but it doesn't automatically elevate the entire universe to the position of almighty judge.  Think about this....what if someone followed you around from the moment you arose, bed head and all and live tweeted every aspect of your day?  Not such a pretty vision is it?  But I bet you would only want them to be kind.
Don't get me wrong, I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  But wouldn't a simple "it wasn't for me" be a kinder way to express your opinion, or how about adhering to your mother's advice and if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.

I know that changing your thoughts and actions is hard.  As my "Words to Live By" this week says...."the best way to get something done is to BEGIN".  So just BEGIN to try and be more understanding, to see someone else's side of the story, to stop judging, to stop complaining, to start living YOUR OWN LIFE, to try and just BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.
XO
G