I used to be the kind of person who was always right. And, truth be told, I'm still right most of the time. (Just kidding!) When I was engaged in a debate with a friend, I would be somewhat oblivious of their perspective, listening only enough so that I could generate an appropriate response, but not really being open to what they were saying. I think I allowed my pride to blind me a little. Instead of looking for an opportunity to love the other person, I was only concerned with proving myself. I valued logic over emotion, principle over compassion. What has changed? I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I would say that life has humbled me. And in humbling me, I have been somewhat relieved of the intense desire to be right. What remains is a desire to be loving, to be kind. What good is there in being right if no one will listen because there is no love behind your words? And how can you change anyone's mind if you won't listen to their perspective first? I think it's possible that our kindness is more instructive than our words can ever be, for kindness has a tendency to liberate people from whatever is blocking them from receiving love, joy, wisdom, understanding, and forgiveness. It is far more powerful than we can imagine, and so easy to give. So, let us be kind, always.