Being nice, it sounds simple, but some people have a hard time grasping the concept. Ever since we were little, we are taught “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” One would think the cheesy statement would be engraved in our brains after having it repeated for years but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

High school is an especially important time to be kind to people. In high school, a lot of teens struggle with self esteem issues due to the fact that they are trying to discover who they really are but this can be a long and hard journey to accomplish.

Unfortunately, teenagers seem to bring each other down quite a bit. Many people in high school complain of not only teens being rude, but, more alarmingly, bullying. In fact, the suicide rate  is the highest it’s been in 30 years. Each day in America there are an average more than 5,240 attempted suicides by teenagers in grades 7-12. It’s even the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24.

It seems silly, but simply being nice to people can have a great impact on someone’s day; it could even potentially save a life. When people are struggling and/or going through a hard time, the smallest things may be the thing that can make their day. What seems like a small, simple compliment or gesture to you could be life altering to someone else. For instance, someone could not be receiving any attention at home or at school. Something as small as telling them their hair looks nice or even just smiling at them in the hallway could make them feel wanted.

When we were kids, being nice seemed like common sense but that seems to have diminished for many of us in high school. Now is the most important time to be nice to others as people can be at their most vulnerable in high school. You have no idea what people are going through. Every single person you lay eyes on has a different story and your actions could change everything.

So be nice, it’s not that hard.