There is a saying: “don’t take my kindness as a weakness”, which is something I have been mulling over for the past few days and tried to think is it really a weakness which we just try to cover with saying like that?

Earlier this year, the nurses in Finland went on a strike, and there was general chaos as hospitals didn’t work. Patient care was compromised as the employers “suddenly realised” there was a lack of nurses who would do extra shifts and so on. All of a sudden, people realised that there was no more the meek little women in white who worked because it was their calling. Nurses had become selfish and uncaring just because they demanded a proper salary for their work.

But is that really true?

Nurses, like kind people in general, tend to have their kindness exploited by the people who think that “oh they will do it because they are kind, and weak, and don’t dare to demand anything in return”. And when we do, we immediately are labelled as bad persons who demand.

I myself used to be your general Mr. Nice Guy until kne day when I started to express my opinions and stood behind them. One person who didn’t like what I stood for told me that “they liked me better when I didn’t have any opinions.”

I think in those situations, it is vital to remember that it is definitely not a weakness to express your opinions and be ready to stand for them, but it is just uncomfortable for the other people to realise that someone else has grown and is more than they are.

My belief is that kindness is definitely not a weakness, but instead a trait that we all should cherish. The modern world seems to be hectic and uncaring in most parts, so simple acts of kindness towards our fellow humans just go to prove that we care and we want to help, and we are humans. If your employer or the people around you want to exploit that kindness in you, send them packing or demand to be acknowledged for the work you do.