"In a world where you can be anything, be kind," Caroline Flack wrote on Instagram in December 2019.
There is no simple explanation for why someone chooses to take their own life and it is rarely due to one particular factor. But after the 40-year-old TV presenter took her own life on 15 February 2020, those words have assumed an added resonance for many around the world.
In the hours and days after news of Flack’s death broke, many thousands of tweets were posted with the words ‘Be Kind’ – a reminder, in the most basic sense, that we need to treat each other better, we need to be kinder. The motto seemed to be a cry for help and change, a collective realisation that things had gone too far.
On Facebook and other social media outlets, there was a renewed effort from women to be kinder to one another, too – one viral trend encouraged them to tag and compliment their friends. “It’s time for us to fix each other’s crowns,” read someone’s caption. The ‘Be Kind’ motto also appeared as ‘ribbons’ on profile pictures.
To my mind, if we could keep this kindness notion in the forefront of how we operate, and if we can harness and nurture that, this can prove to be an incredibly powerful thing, a force for good.
This, in a nutshell, was the essence of what I was trying to say ‘In Praise of Kindness’, which I had posted on 28 October 2014.
'You see ladies and gentlemen, we need values, we need love, friendship, kindness, generosity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion to be the guiding principles of all we do. Otherwise, no amount of money, capital, technology, IT, theories and policies, can save us from our own mistakes, the crises of our own making.’ Kamran Mofid, “A Better Path”, School of Economic Science, Saturday 8 February 2014
Reading it now again, reinforces in me the belief that I have, that kindness is what we need, to heal ourselves, to better our lives and to make our world great again. Let me explain a bit more, by sharing a few postings from our GCGI archives.
Kindness to Heal the World and Make the World Great Again
Photo:inc.com
‘The Dalai Lama was once asked what surprised him most. He replied: "Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future. He lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."
Now let me share with you the words and sentiments of a young executive, a CEO, earning a lot of money, with bonuses, power, and more: “Now it's all about Productivity, Pay, Performance and Profit - the four Ps – which are fuelled by the three Fs: Fear, Frustration and Failure. Just sometimes I wish that in the midst of these Ps (& Fs), there was some time left for another set of four Fs: Families, Friends, Festivals and Fun.”
You see ladies and gentlemen, we need values, we need love, friendship, kindness, generosity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion to be the guiding principles of all we do. Otherwise, no amount of money, capital, technology, IT, theories and policies, can save us from our own mistakes, the crises of our own making.’ Kamran Mofid, “A Better Path”, School of Economic Science, Saturday 8 February 2014
“We bewail the loss of our values, whether we call them civilised, British, western or Christian. We turn to a minority of migrants and blame them for ostensibly diluting them. But it is simply not true. The reason we are losing our values is that we are failing to nourish them, cherish them and hold on to them. It is a collective meanness of spirit.
The reason we are becoming less and less like the Britain we recognise is not the presence of Polish plumbers; it is the putting up of spikes to shoo away the homeless instead of them offering a cup of tea. The reason this is no longer a civilised country is not the presence of a smattering of mosques; it is the decision to let people drown in the sea to save a measly amount which will not make even the smallest dent in our budget. The reason we are turning uncivilised, un-British, unchristian, un-western – however you define it – is the lack of tangible kindness. We are simply turning into the worst version of ourselves.'... Fight back. Be the best version of yourself. Be kind to someone.”...In Praise of Kindness
Be kind to one another: Kindness Will Set You Free
Photo: Joshua Clay on Unsplash
And now, I very much encourage you to have a look at these selected few links below, all about ‘KINDNESS’. I assure you, you will find them very interesting and inspiring, pearls of wisdom from master teachers and philosophers of love.
Why Love, Trust, Respect and Gratitude Trumps Economics: Together for the Common Good
In Praise of Generosity, Compassion and Kindness: Lessons of London 2012
What if Universities Taught KINDNESS?
Wouldn’t the world be a better place with a bit more kindness? Harnessing the Economics of Kindness
Today is World Kindness Day: Embracing Kindness to Defeat the Political Economy of Hatred
The Value of Values: Values-led Education to Make the World Great Again
Is Neoliberal Economics and Economists 'The Biggest Fraud Ever Perpetrated on the World?'
The Broken Economic Model and the Inhumanity of the Lost Decade of Austerity
Yes, we can win, we can make the world great again, If we listen to the Voice of Hope and kindness echoing across the world
The Voice of Hope
"The Days to Come"
Now shall I store my soul with silent beauty,
Beauty of drifting clouds and mountain heights,
Beauty of sun-splashed hills and shadowed forests,
Beauty of dawn and dusk and star-swept nights.
Now shall I fill my heart with quiet music,
Song of the wind across the pine-clad hill,
Song of the rain and, fairer than all music,
Call of the thrush when twilight woods are still.
So shall the days to come be filled with beauty,
Bright with the promise caught from eastern skies;
So shall I see the stars when night is darkest,
Still hear the thrush’s song when music dies.
~ Medora C. Addison, “The Days to Come,” in Dreams and A Sword (Yale University Press, 1922).
All in all, Let us all come together and build a kinder world, when we will all continue our common good journey and share a common belief in the potential of each one of us to become self-directed, empowered, and active in defining this time in the world as an opportunity for positive change and healing and for the true formation of a culture of peace by giving thanks, spreading joy, sharing love, seeing miracles, discovering goodness, embracing kindness, practicing patience, teaching moderation, encouraging laughter, celebrating diversity, showing compassion, turning from hatred, practicing forgiveness, peacefully resolving conflicts, communicating non-violently, choosing happiness and enjoying life. Carpe diem!
Photo:The Pictures Quotes Blog