Being nice for the sake of niceness
Updated: Feb 1
At a time when coronavirus is challenging us all, it becomes more important than ever to realise we can choose how to be. This article by British-Australian psychoanalyst Anouchka Grose is worth reading for anyone looking to explore the value of niceness for the sake of niceness: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/19/radical-niceness-coronavirus-crisis
We may not get any reward for choosing to be nice, we may even be at a disadvantage in some situations, but perhaps there is value to being nice, unapologetically and explicitly, for no reason other than the intrinsic value of being nice.
For a more interesting analysis of niceness and how our view of it has been shaped over the years, this School of Life video is better than anything Underdog mentoring could produce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fvtgt736lo
At this time when coronavirus has humbled and impacted us all, we can make the decision to cling on to niceness as something which we can control, which has special value at a time like this and which cannot be taken away from us, no matter what else is happening around us.