Is Kindness Old-Fashioned?

I caught myself thinking last night about things that go out of fashion and I wondered if kindness is in that category. Now this thought isn't quite as random as it sounds. This musing was actually fueled by the observations I have made of people. There is a man in my church choir who is always saying unkind things and acting in an unkind manner. There is a woman at my work who overreacts to every situation and as a result, acts very unkindly. I encounter people almost every day who act in unkind ways, sometimes obliviously and sometimes purposefully. Why? Not only is being unkind a waste of one's energy but it is so destructive! I understand that things fall out of fashion all of the time but can kindness really be one of those things? It takes so little to be kind and yet it means so much. Perhaps if we just each took a moment before we reacted and chose to react more kindly, we could really change a situation. For instance, the woman at work I mentioned, I really want to be rather aloof to her because of how she behaves but instead I make the decision to be kind and upbeat. My hope is that she will begin to model this behavior back to me. I am beginning to see the tiniest indication that perhaps this is working. Here is my wish, that everyone put just a little more kindness into their actions and see what spreads. It is up to each of us to keep kindness from going out of style.
I know, you are thinking, what does this have to do with my original blog theme...I think kindness is, or should be, a part of everything. Kindness people!