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Mackenzie Keeling

Professor Breland

ENG 112 (20YN)

5 April 2022

Kindness: The Key to Bettering Our World

It is fair to say that, as a collective, our world has entered unprecedented times. From

extremely polarizing politics to the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, our patience and

compassion for each other have been tested persistently. Everyone has a different perspective on

which direction we should travel next, but one thing remains clear: we will not make it far with

animosity amongst us. While this is not the first call for kindness, as prominent figures such as

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fred Rogers spent their lives as activists for peace, the issue is as

prevalent as ever. In the midst of social movements and media, it seems we have forgotten that

we are the same: human beings living the human experience. Although we share the same Earth,

it is also vital that we remember that our worlds are different. Each person is a collection of their

experiences, and understanding that people are often at different stages of the same journey is at

the core of treating people with kindness. Changing the world is a big, daunting task, one which

might seem to require an even bigger plan, but it is time we return to basics. There has been a

break in our foundation, one which we must address before we can expect our world to be a

better place.

Being kind, we will learn, has nothing to do with the situation, but rather the individual.

In his foreword to Angela Santomero’s Radical Kindness, Deepak Chopra, a prominent figure in

alternative medicine, explains, “The journey begins by paying attention to the need for inner and

outer peace, for leading our daily lives from a place of deep-seated benevolence and
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thoughtfulness, especially towards ourselves” (5). It is important to note that our outer peace is a

reflection of our inner peace, acting as a mirror. Oftentimes, we search our outer world for

solutions to conflicts we face, but the solution lies in what we can give ourselves, and in doing

so, others. The topic of self-care has been trending in recent years, and, for some, with it has

come a “shadow of self-centeredness.” Acting out of love and kindness, however, is not a lack of

boundaries, as we are still able to take care of ourselves. Rather, it is understanding that “nothing

about insecurity, anxiety, and lack is destined to exist – all of these things are born of judgment

against the self” and that people’s actions are a projection of their judgment (Santomero 7). Our

outer peace becomes disturbed when our inner peace is, and the problem lies in believing others

are responsible for it. Inner peace is achieved when we realize that we are solely responsible for

it and decide to respond to situations that test us rather than react. When you find yourself

wanting to react, look inward and find what you are truly reacting to. We must recognize this in

ourselves and others and know that our reactions do not make us any less worthy of kindness;

they only make us human. This journey begins with each of us because, ‘by focusing our

attention on being kind to ourselves, by projecting compassion and peace inwardly, we alter how

we react to the world outwardly” (Santomero 10).

Merriam-Webster defines “kind” as arising from or characterized by sympathy or

forbearance; however, being kind is more than a mere patient act of self-control. In her book

Radical Kindness, Santomero states, “kindness is seeing with one’s heart rather than one’s head,

which leads to interacting with and responding to others with compassion, rather than

misunderstanding them” (11). Rather than seeing kindness as a gift we give to people, we must

see it as what everyone deserves. There should be no keeping score, deciding who is, and who is

not deserving. Afterall, that is not how you would like to be treated, right? Santomero further
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describes what she calls radical kindness as “rooting all you say and do in kindness, being

unconditionally kind all the time, to everyone. It means going beyond situational niceness or

merely ‘doing the right thing’ and, instead, living from a place of compassion” (15). Santomero

coined this phrase based on her experience watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child,

and the tenderness of Fred Rogers. She uses the word’s original meaning, stemming from the

Latin word for “root,” which she felt was fitting for Mister Rogers, as he placed kindness at the

root of everything. His program first aired in 1968, during the Vietnam War and Civil Rights

Movement, a time of extreme discord, as a make-believe neighborhood composed of compassion

and consideration. Mister Rogers made people feel seen, and he encouraged watchers to truly see

others as he saw them. In recent turbulent times, there have been many calls to Mister Rogers

and his legacy. He was the embodiment of love, weighing 143 pounds, each integer representing

the number of letters in the words that comprise the phrase “I love you.” In fact, in an article

published in Time Magazine, authors Behr and Rydzewski petition for a new holiday, 143 Day.

Some may believe a holiday for unconditional kindness to be silly, but it demonstrates the need

to designate time to treat ourselves and others with support, as studies show that “a lack of time,

whether real or perceived, has enormous effects on human behavior” (“We Need More

Kindness”).

In 1973, behavioral scientists John Darley and Daniel Batson from Princeton University

studied the effects of time constraints on a person’s willingness to help someone in need.

Seminary students, those undergoing training to become religious leaders, were chosen to write a

sermon on the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man is beaten, robbed, and left

for dead, ignored by bystanders. The students were also placed under a time constraint, either

hurried or unhurried. Darley and Batson then observed how many people from these groups
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stopped to help a stranger in need on their way to deliver their message. The results were

shocking, finding only 63% of those who had plenty of time and 10% of those who were rushed

helped the stranger in need (“We Need More Kindness”). Furthermore, Sara Konrath, a

researcher at the University of Michigan, found that empathy levels in college students have

decreased 40% from 1979 to 2009. Compared to decades prior, the study found that students

were less likely to agree with statements such as “I sometimes try to understand my friends better

by imagining how things look from their perspective” and “I often have tender, concerned

feelings for people less fortunate than me” (“Empathy”). Although no one cause was determined,

Konrath speculated that “media saturation and relentless pressure to achieve were among the

likely culprits. Digital-age young people aren’t inherently less empathetic, but they are more

anxious and busy and stressed and scared, and it’s hard to walk in your neighbor’s shoes when

that’s the way you feel” (“We Need More Kindness”). These studies exemplify how time, media,

and stress affect our mindset and behavior. It is vital that we are aware of these factors and how

they may distort our reality. Each day, it is important that we set aside time for ourselves and our

mental state so we can be fully engaged, considerate, and kind with whomever we encounter.

One daily practice that cultivates our propensity for kindness is the loving-kindness

meditation created by Emma Seppala, Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for

Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. This practice begins by sitting, or laying,

comfortably and relaxing the body through deep breaths. Once ready, you may close your eyes.

In this position, you can receive loving-kindness by imagining you are surrounded by all those

who love you, sending you wishes for your happiness and well-being. Focus on the warmth of

their wishes and the love coming from those that love you. You may then give loving-kindness to

specific people in your life and send your love to them individually with a mantra such as: “May
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you be happy, may you be healthy, and may you be free.” There is no right or wrong thing to say,

so choose something that speaks to you. The meditation progresses by thinking of an

acquaintance, or someone you have neutral feelings for, and send the same wishes. It is also

important that you do the same for those you may be struggling to get along with. Ultimately,

this practice concludes with expanding your awareness, picturing the world in front of you, and

sending love to all living beings. This meditation increases positive emotions by allowing people

to feel more connected to others, and research suggests that the benefits go beyond improving

our social connections. Studies show that loving-kindness meditation helps with physical or

mental ailments, activates and strengthens emotional intelligence centers in the brain, and makes

our psychophysiology more resilient (Loving-Kindness). This is only one example of

implementing kindness into your daily routine, but it demonstrates how something as little as a

few minutes a day can evoke real change in our lives.

When implementing something new to your routine, it is optimal to choose a task you

would not mind doing on a daily basis. This can look like telling a friend how much you

appreciate them, complimenting a stranger, or tipping your Starbucks barista. The opportunities

are endless, and one act of kindness can inspire others to follow suit. Life Vest Inside, a nonprofit

organization with the goal of inspiring people of all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness,

created a short film, “Kindness Boomerang,” to portray the contagious nature of kindness. Set

along to an upbeat and moving song, “One Day,” the film portrays a chain reaction of one

person’s act of kindness. It is called a boomerang because the first person to give is the last to

receive, demonstrating how our individual world is a mirror, reflecting our own attitudes and

actions onto us. The everyday setting of a busy streetside shows the many opportunities for acts

of kindness on a daily basis. Additionally, the film includes people of all different backgrounds,
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reinforcing the role of the individual and that kindness begins with each and every one of us.

Founder of Life Vest Inside, Orly Wahba, detailed her dream of wanting to change the world and

the steps she is taking in a TedTalk. From a young age, Wahba recalls feeling as if she was meant

to bring people together and encourage them to see beyond the labels and boundaries present in

our society. Wahba was called a dreamer, and like everyone else, she had her own doubts she had

to overcome. After facing many hardships herself, Wahba no longer felt she had a purpose.

However, one day, frightened of facing hopelessness, she promised herself that she would be

there for people as she wished someone would have been there for her (The Power of Kindness).

This promise Wahba made herself led her to become more involved in school and, eventually, a

teacher. As a teacher, she helped her students to see the beauty in themselves because, as Wahba

states, “once you see the beauty in yourself, seeing the beauty in others is easy.” Through a

puzzle demonstration with her middle school class, Wahba also emphasized our importance as

individuals and all we have to offer the world. Just like pieces to a puzzle, each of us is just as

vital as the next. In each and every one of us, there is a life vest of kindness inside we can use to

keep the world afloat. Changing the world, Wahba describes, is like moving a mountain, a task

that is completed one shovel-full at a time (The Power of Kindness).

In conclusion, this world is wide and vast, and, though there may seem to be more

pressing issues, our strides will take us nowhere before we can act out of love and kindness for

each other. The motto of our nation is “E Pluribus Unum,” a Latin phrase best translated to “out

of many, one.” This describes how the original thirteen colonies joined to form a single nation,

but it is also thought to have originated from Roman statesman, Cicero and his philosophical

work, De Officiis (Stewart). Published in 44 BC, Cicero wrote of duties and what makes a

society persevere: “When each person loves the other as much as himself, it makes one out of
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many.” What we give is what we receive, and through changing one person’s world at a time, we

change the world.

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Works Cited

“Empathy: College Students Don’t Have as Much as They Used To.” University of Michigan

News, 27 May 2010, https://news.umich.edu/empathy-college-students-don-t-have-as-

much-as-they-used-to/.

Life Vest Inside - Kindness Boomerang - “One Day.” www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.co

m/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.

Loving-Kindness Meditation (Greater Good in Action).

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/loving_kindness_meditation. Accessed 20 Mar. 2022.

Santomero, Angela. Radical Kindness: The Life-Changing Power of Giving and Receiving.

HarperCollins, 2019.

Stewart, Gordon C. “An Open Letter to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.” Views

from the Edge, 18 Dec.2019, https://gordoncstewart.com/2019/12/18/an-open-letter-to-

members-of-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/.

The Power of Kindness | Orly Wahba | TEDxStPeterPort. www.youtube.com,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DawgEK9muY. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.

“We Need More Kindness in Our Lives: Let’s Make 143 Day a National Holiday to Honor Mr.

Rogers’ Legacy.” Time, https://time.com/6049970/143-day-national-holiday-mr-rogers/.

Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.