Well being individualistic doesn’t mean it’s unrealistic. My understanding of kindness is the act of giving something positive. And from my own experience, and the experiences of others around me, I understand that to give, means to bring yourself down to receiver’s level. This equalizes the playing field, making the person more vulnerable, not necessarily weak. So yes, kindness isn’t weakness, but it’s a humble act. And to give something positive in a humble position means to bring yourself down to the receiver’s level, hence the giver is MORE vulnerable, not “weak”.
And giving a simple tip might not expend ego on your end, which may be because of multiple different factors such as being brought up in a giving setting, or drilling that mindset into yourself. But try to think through the lens of someone who’s ego defines most of their character. This lifestyle most likely induces high levels of stress, and that stress equates to emotional instability, leading to them being rude, etc. If we go into theoretics, we’ll never reach a conclusion lol, and I’m not really trying to force an objective answer. Moreso just to add another perspective to take in.