0 Nice People... Where'd They Go?

By: Marvin DeBose

When I was a residence hall coordinator at Edinboro University. I once had someone show me how powerful being nice to someone really is.

It was the the beginning of the school year, I was just starting grad school and beginning my graduate assistantship as a hall coordinator as well. Although I was familiar with the environment since I was an RA the previous semester, like anyone going into a new job, I had my doubts.

"Do I even know what I'm doing?" and "I don't want to mess up" were some of the recurring thoughts in my head.

That day, one of my friends checked into my building. At the time, I'd only really known him for a few months, so he was really more of a casual acquaintance then a "friend".

After I helped sign him into the building and gave him his keys, he said something that shifted my whole perspective. As he picked his bags up to go upstairs, he turned to me and said, "You know, Marvin, you're doing a great job."

And just like that, I wasn't as worried anymore and I wasn't as stressed. In fact, I spent the next few hours occasionally reflecting on how nice of a gesture that was.

Then I had to ask myself, "Why don't more people act like that?"

Then I remembered that sometimes the world can be a harsh place, it takes a toll on people physically, mentally and emotionally. Like the great poet Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson once said, "Death gotta be easy, cause life is hard/It'll leave you physically, mentally, and emotionally scarred."

Sometimes, as a response or a defense mechanism to the harsh, negative, "hard" aspects of life, people themselves become hardened mentally and emotionally, and respond to the world with harsh, negative attitudes and actions.

Yet, I believe that the best way to counteract this coldness that the world can bring is through genuine gestures of warmth. Whether it's a smile, a compliment, a thank you, or just a greeting, it all goes a long way, and it may affect someone more than you'll ever know.

I'm not saying you have to be obnoxiously nice and walk around whistling Dixie with a smile 24/7 singing songs  (that'll just make you look nuts). I'm not saying that you have to be the guy who holds the door for everyone, or that you have to be a pushover and try to please everyone.  But you get what I mean.