Changing to a Culture of Kindness

Change is brought about
because ordinary people do extraordinary things.
Barack Obama

 

We are in a time of dramatic change on Planet Earth. Many people believe that change happens outside of us, that we are pawns being moved around by some immutable fate that determines our lives.

We see it differently. We know that many things are out of our control, but we also know that we all have the power to help create the future that we want. We are more powerful than we realize.

We want to live in a world where love and kindness power the choices that people make. In order to help create that reality, we know that we must make it true in our lives.

Change Begins with Us

Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

Living with kindness is a choice that we make, that enriches our lives and uplifts those we meet. Once we realize how much our acts of kindness uplift us, as well, we may realize that we have made a commitment to walk a kindness path, to be open to opportunities to be kind, and to plant seeds of kindness where we may not ever see how they grow in the lives of other people.

On the kindness path, we realize our connection to others, and we make an effort to rise above the judgments that separate us. We intend to see others in a deeper way, recognizing our kinship. That leads us to curiosity about them, wanting to understand them and to find ways to feel more connected.

Life often provides opportunities for us to step out of our comfort zone and to be kind to people whom we had overlooked previously. When we have the courage to take that step, we feel empowered, and we are more likely to continue to expand the reach of our kindness in other ways as well.

By choosing to live with kindness, we also invite compassion to accompany us on our journey. As we connect with others in a kind way, we develop an awareness of their challenges or misfortunes, and we want to brighten their day and to help in any way that we can.

Now, we can see how much Kindness has changed us and the way that we live in the world.

Creating a Worldwide Kindness Movement

People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world
are the ones who do.
Steve Jobs

The choices that we make for our lives do make a difference in the world, whether we realize it or not. When we choose to live with kindness, we become the change we want to see in the world, and we help to bring about a kinder world.

When we join with others who have made a similar commitment in their lives, we exponentially expand our impact. Many individuals and organizations in the world today have large networks of like-minded and like-hearted people who are inspired to increase their kindness practice and make a difference in their communities.

The next step is to bring all of these networks together into a worldwide web of love in action. The more we combine our energies, the more powerful we become.

Let’s look at just a few of the love-powered networks already making a difference in the world.

Valarie Kaur - The Revolutionary Love Project.

Valarie Kaur gives us an empowering way to see what is happening in the world today. She asks us to consider: Is what we are experiencing “the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb.”

We like the analogy of the womb. As the time of birth approaches, the mother reaches a point of intense pain, with contractions coming rapidly, one after another. The technical term for that part of the birth process is transition.

The mother is reminded to breathe through the pain. Soon after, she gets the urge to push the baby out. As hard as it is, she is told to push through the pain.

Breathe, then push. Breathe, then push. Soon, the baby is born.

If we can see the transition that we are going through now on earth as the birthing of a new world, we can reframe how we view our lives. When the outer circumstances seem overwhelming, we can stop, take a few deep breaths to get our balance back, then push - take whatever action we are called to take in support of the emerging world we choose to create.

Valarie is the founder of The Revolutionary Love Project and author of “See No Stranger – A Memoire and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.”

Orly Wahba – Life Vest Inside

Life Vest Inside is a non-profit organization dedicated to 1. inspiring, empowering and educating people of all backgrounds to lead a life of kindness, and 2. growing Kind Leaders of tomorrow.

“We equip people worldwide with the necessary tools to build their self-confidence and recognize the amazing potential they have to make a difference in the world. By utilizing the transformative power of kindness, we empower and inspire people to become a catalyst for positive change.”

Life Vest Inside has created a powerful kindness network that fosters dialogue with people across the globe, including parts of the world torn apart by conflict.

Orly kicked off her kindness work with a powerful video, “Kindness Boomerang,” which immediately went viral. The video demonstrates how the kindness we give out eventually comes back to us in the exact way that we need it at the time.

The success of that kindness message encouraged Orly to build an organization that inspires people, especially children, to live lives of kindness. Through newsletters, videos, a kindness curriculum for schools, and her book, Kindness Boomerang, she has expanded her reach around the world.

Every year, Life Vest Inside kicks off World Kindness Week with their Dance for Kindness, during which groups from over 50 countries join together to perform the same dance to the same song on the same day.

Project Hope Exchange is the first of its kind, “worldwide digital database of anonymous audio messages of hope. “At the heart of our exchange are real human voices.” So far, over 500 messages of hope have been left, and there have been over 12,000 calls from people needing support.

Nipun Mehta - ServiceSpace

Nipun Mehta is the founder of ServiceSpace, which is “an incubator of projects that work at the intersection of volunteerism, technology, and gift-economy.” Started as an experiment with four friends in the Silicon Valley, ServiceSpace has delivered millions of dollars in service for free to and provided by its over 400,000 members.

Their offerings are innovative:

KindSpring began with “a fun game of tag -- do a selfless act for someone and leave a smile card behind telling them to pay it forward.” A weekly newsletter shares some of the kindness stories they receive from their 140,000 subscribers.

KarmaTube is “a collection of short, "do something" videos, coupled with simple actions that every viewer can take. Our vision is to create and connect a global network of volunteers to create uplifting stories that celebrate the work of local change agents.”

DailyGood is a portal dedicated to good news. Every day, 108,360 subscribers receive an email with uplifting articles, an insightful quotation, and a small call to action that people can take in their own lives

Awaken Circles is hub for local meditation circles in over 80 cities around the globe, and Awaken Calls are weekly conversations with wide-ranging thought leaders.

Conversations, a place for in-depth discussions, is now fully run on a gift-economy basis. All costs for the magazine, website and e-newsletter, which reaches 30,556 subscribers, are covered by readers and other supporters.

Karma Kitchen, which started as an experiment run by a team of volunteers, has now served over 34,000 guests through the pay-it-forward model in 18 pop-up locations in Berkeley, California, Washington DC, and Chicago.

Laddership Circles are six-week immersive programs “for project initiators to dive into the nuances of leading with inner transformation, learn about gift ecology design thinking, and cultivate new patterns of positive deviance from the current norm. The program uses an innovative pod platform designed to cultivate deep relationships through a head, heart, hands orientation.”

CharityFocus began in 1999 serving non-profit organizations (NPOs) with web solutions they could not otherwise afford. 1,040 volunteers successfully completed 254 website projects. Now they provide a platform on which NPOs can build their own websites at no cost. Their volunteers have helped create over 7,920 websites for various causes around the world.

The Moved By Love portal for South Asia, has hosted over 100 3-day retreats to incubate several wide-ranging gift-economy projects. It is also home to many online activities like ProPoor, that hosts a database of over 14,000 charitable organizations. Its ripples have reached millions of people in India.

Father Gregory Boyle - Homeboy Industries

After several years as pastor of the poorest Catholic church in Los Angeles, California, Father Boyle left his parish duties to devote his life to helping to heal the lives of gang members and ex-offenders.

He founded Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. For over 30 years, it has provided training and support for formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of society.

Each year over 15,000 people from across Los Angeles come through Homeboy Industries’ doors, hoping to make a positive change. They are welcomed into a community of mutual kinship, love, and a wide variety of services ranging from tattoo removal to anger management and parenting classes.

"Currently employment is offered for more than 180 men and women through a thoughtful, strategic 18-month program that focuses on healing just as much as it focuses on developing work readiness skills. Our overarching goal is to see individuals heal from trauma, allowing them to contribute fully to their family and community. The five key outcomes we strive for as an organization are: 1) Reduce recidivism, 2) Reduce substance abuse, 3) Improve social connectedness, 4) Improve housing safety and stability, and 5) Reunify families.

Through our wraparound therapeutic model, Homeboy Industries provides services for nearly 9,000 people per year in the Los Angeles community. From tattoo removal to mental health services, our mission is to provide the vital resources needed for formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women to reclaim their identity and become contributing members of our community."

Their approach has provided a blueprint for the Global Homeboy Network of over 250 organizations and social enterprises around the world.

We Are in a Global Transformation

These are just a few of the organizations that are already changing the world by helping us to include love, kindness, service and compassion into our daily lives. They are just the tip of the iceberg of transformation that is happening on our planet, often unnoticed and under reported.

We are in a time of world-wide transition, and we all have the opportunity to be a part of the birthing of the new world we wish to see. What part would you like to play?

     Photo by Jorge Vasconez on Unsplash

Click below to learn more about:

Valarie Kaur

Orly Wahba

Father Gregory Boyle

Nipun Mehta

The 9 Cs of kindness are words that describe important aspects of a kindness journey. We invite you to check them out:  Choice, Commitment, Connection, Curiosity, Courage, Compassion, Change, Community, Celebration

What are your thoughts? Please comment below

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We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.

With love from our hearts to yours,
Pat and Larry