‘Shall we make a new rule of life…always try to be a little kinder than is necessary.’ J.M. Barrie, The White Little Bird. 1902.

Be kinder more than necessary
Those are words to live by. No one loses the argument, no one loses the fight. Everyone wins at the “soul level” if our focus is to be kinder than necessary.
A side note: It is in The White Little Bird that Barrie introduces the character Peter Pan, though the Peter we would recognize is more fully developed in his writings over the next several years.

It is difficult for me to imagine an argument against “more kindness.”

“Be kinder than necessary” aligns well with the goals of major religions. We can debate, I suppose, as to how much kindness may be necessary. But if in a quest for precision I feel compelled to drag out the scales or the yard stick, I may be missing the big point.
Maybe the call is really about being kinder than my first impulse, kinder than I may think is sufficient, kinder than if I think Someone is watching.
For those of us awash in the deepening muddy trenches of U.S. American politics, being kinder than necessary (however we define it) just might be a good place of focus. Being kind does not require the surrendering of other important values. It simply suggests we keep one toe in the pool of shared human values while we do. 

SPECIAL NOTE
Stay tuned for my podcast, launching soon. The Wonder Files will debut in late September on most platforms where podcasts air. It also will be available on livingthesedays.me, this blog’s website.