Kindness

Each Wednesday at 2pm I lead an online discussion group called “Together”. It’s in the MYsocial calendar, so easy to join in. Together we’ve agreed that every week we’ll have a new subject, with each chat suggesting where we go next.

Speaking of agreement, that’s one of the few things I do try to stick to. I always ask, whatever the subject, that we look for things we agree about. Amazing how that works. We’re only together for a short time, and we have the rest of our lives to disagree if we want to, so why not try it? Turns out that it feels easy, it’s enjoyable, everyone gets to pitch in, and we get to really listen without judging each other.

Last week our subject was KINDNESS, and I started by asking whether kindness could be a starting point for creating a better life and a better world. Spoiler alert: everyone agreed that the answer to that was a big yes.

I won’t try to cover our whole conversation here, and I can’t name names (if you want to get to know us sign up for a Wednesday MYsocial “Together” and join in). What I will do is tell you a few of the high points people came up with:

• We live in an isolated and ‘stay separate’ society. Not great for kindness, but these days social distancing is making us want to connect more.
• Starting to say “thank you” to dustmen, meter readers, council tree cutters, delivery people… seems to lift us as well as them.
• Waving to neighbours we didn’t know. Kindness brightens life.
• Neighbours helping each other, more kindness all around makes bad times good.
• Kindness is so powerful and so easy!
• Simple things, done from the heart.
• Kindness is most important. Why not choose to be kind and all do better?
• Kindness is natural – just let ourselves be open and one family.
• Yes and more than that, let ourselves be one. 

I don’t have a lot to add to that, except that I mentioned the Ripple Effect: your acts of kindness help others be kind, and they encourage others still, and the kindness wave grows.