How a Simple Flight Taught Me the True Meaning of Kindness and Empathy

That flight taught me something no lecture ever could: courtesy without empathy is only politeness; kindness with awareness is compassion.

We never truly know what burdens someone else carries. Sometimes it’s exhaustion, sometimes grief, sometimes something as simple — and as sacred — as a new life growing quietly inside them.

I didn’t lose anything by being impatient that day, but I missed a chance to make another person’s path easier. And in doing so, I missed a chance to be a better version of myself.

Now, when I travel, I try to create comfort instead of claiming it. Because in the end, a thoughtful heart travels farther than any airplane seat ever could.