Reflecting on Kindness

Kindness has been on my mind a lot lately. Not as a fleeting sentiment but as a cornerstone of how we live, connect, and grow. I’ve come to believe that kindness is one of the most profound and necessary tools we have to heal ourselves, our communities, and our world. It’s not something I’ve studied, but something I feel deeply. And while these thoughts are my own, I can’t help but notice how often they are reflected and rounded out by what’s happening around us.

Kindness is more than politeness or fleeting acts of generosity. It’s a deliberate way of being...a practice of centering others, considering their humanity, and choosing actions that uplift. Recently, I found myself thinking: “Kindness centers how we consider everything around us. Everything. It’s how we make decisions and interact with another human being. It supports each of us toward being fully human.”

To me, kindness is the foundation that holds up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Without it, we’re stuck in survival mode and unable to climb toward self-actualization, fulfillment, and wholeness. Kindness isn’t selfish. It’s an intentional act that prioritizes the well-being of others and, in doing so, strengthens all of us.

In life, kindness shows up in small ways. A genuine smile, a moment of patience, a willingness to truly listen. Empathy is a key part of this, allowing us to step into someone else’s experience and respond with care.

In community, kindness becomes collective action ensuring no one is left behind, creating spaces of belonging, and amplifying the voices of those often silenced. It’s about understanding the systemic barriers people face and working together to address them with compassion and intentionality.

In work, kindness is equity in action. It's fair pay, inclusive policies, and environments where people feel valued and seen. Empathy helps leaders and colleagues understand the unique challenges individuals face and creates a culture where people can bring their full selves to the table.

Someone recently asked me, “What can I do to help people feel more included?” I shared strategies about microaffirmations, equity-centered practices, and building trust. But after reflecting, I realized I’d missed the simplest, most foundational answer. Be kind. Kindness is the root of inclusion. When we ask ourselves, “How would I want to be treated?” or “What small action can I take to make someone’s life better?” we step into the shoes of another person and see their humanity.

But kindness feels absent in so many places. When I look around, I see exclusion, judgment, and policies rooted in fear and control. Whether it’s debates about who should marry, what rights certain groups should have, or who deserves opportunity, these conversations lack kindness at their core.

When someone asks, “What’s the business case for equity or inclusion?” I often hear a subtext in my head that translates to: “What’s the business case for being a kind human being?” The question itself feels absurd. Do we really need to justify treating people with dignity? Do we need a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether people deserve equity, inclusion, and opportunity?

It's disheartening to witness societal structures, persistent in forms that lack kindness and perpetuate exclusion. Such systems, rooted in outdated ideologies, hinder individuals from achieving their full potential and contradict the essence of compassion and humanity.

And yet, here we are needing rules, regulations, and justifications for what should be natural. Sometimes it feels so ridiculous I can’t help but express my frustration. Imagine questioning whether we should care about others’ happiness, safety, or belonging.

In reflecting on kindness, I believe it's important to recognize that even well-intended acts may not always be received as intended, especially when trust has been eroded over time. This doesn't mean we should abandon our efforts. Rebuilding trust is a gradual process that requires consistent, genuine acts of kindness.

Kindness invites us to embrace a mindset that celebrates differences rather than fear them, to ask not what is expedient but what is right.

And I’ve been thinking about this: What’s the benefit of our inability to connect? What do we gain when we erode the frameworks that promote kindness and connection or equity and inclusion? If you ask a conspiracy theorist, they might say it serves those who profit from chaos, fear, and division.

For the rest of us, connection isn’t just an ideal, it’s a necessity. And kindness builds that connection. Without it, we’re left with systems that perpetuate distrust, inequity, and harm.

I know this idea of humanity may feel nebulous or too vast or abstract to hold onto. But look around. With everything happening in our political and social environment, it’s clear to me that the challenges we face are deeply tied to how we perceive and value humanity itself. And it feels like a crisis of connection, compassion, and care.

People are gravely concerned. People are hurting, upset, scared. There is a collective grieving happening. Grieving the loss of trust, of safety, of hope for something better. Kindness, then, becomes an act of resistance. A way to heal, to reconnect, to remind one another that we are still here. We're still human, and still deserving of dignity and care.

Have you reflected on kindness lately? It’s a question worth sitting with. In a world where kindness is often absent, we have an opportunity to bring it back into focus. Start small: ask yourself, “What does this person need to feel valued?” Take one action daily to make someone’s life better. Challenge systems and structures that perpetuate exclusion and inequity, always keeping kindness at the center.

When we lead with kindness, we create the conditions for equity, inclusion, and belonging. And in lifting others, we move closer to becoming fully human, together. Not just because we’ve justified it, but because we’ve simply amplified it as the right thing to do.

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