Love others. No matter what.

A guide for a two-year-old boy

Hey nugget,

You’re 2 today. That is CRAZY. I am proud of your brain and your heart, and I will never stop being mindblown by how you got here and how cool you are. On this, the second anniversary of the day you decided to eat oxygen, I have a guide for you.

Soon, you’ll find out that I’m not vocal about my faith. I’m not proud of that, but I worry constantly about making people uncomfortable and I work my tail off to make sure it doesn’t happen often. This is why I suck at sales. I still remember the last day of the only sales job I ever had. I was pretty good at it, but I was so distraught by the rejection and the way I was manipulating people that I broke down and cried in the middle of Subway. Worst turkey sandwich ever.

So yeah. I don’t like to make waves. But there is a piece of advice I learned thanks to the Bible that transcends religion and simply addresses how to be a good human. Five easy words:

Love others. No matter what.

That’s it. If you believe nothing else, believe that. How they look, where they come from, what they believe, how they smell—it doesn’t matter. They deserve the best you.

It’s hard. You’ll fail when you’re young and figuring out your place in your circles and in the world. You’ll fail when you’re old and you should know better, but you’re still too stubborn, proud, lazy, sleepy, or hungry.

Ways to love others: a horribly incomplete bulleted list

• Ask questions often and speak thoughtfully.
• Even though it feels great to get it, don’t go for the easy laugh. It took me a long time to learn this. I thought putting others down was the best and possibly only way to be funny. Turns out there are big laughs to be had in light self deprecation, great wordplay, genuine wit, and dad jokes.
• Check in with people you love. In order of effectiveness: face-to-face, letter, video chat, phone call, text, email. It’s probably best to never check in via email.
• Give money. Or time. Or blood. Or advice—when asked.
• Give genuine compliments to people you love. Don’t say it just to say it. Truly feel it and communicate it. Give genuine compliments to strangers if you feel compelled.
• Accept a compliment and thank the person who gave it. Don’t argue about it or reject it.
• Defend the bullied.
• If someone looks like they need a hand, ask them if they need a hand.
• Tell the truth, without excuses.
• Jot down a list of things someone tells you they’d love to have. Surprise them with a gift later on. It never has to be big. They’ll be floored simply by the fact that you remembered.

The world has been broken for a long time, and that may feel completely overwhelming and impossible to rectify. But the tiny things you choose to do in the course of your day have a powerful effect on people. Put another way, even the smallest of things that you do blossom and multiply far beyond you. So, choose to be a good human. It’s a small thing, but the world will improve because of it.