Twenty-seven years ago, a New Jersey woman named Lorraine Jara established Be Kind to Humankind Week after two men from her community were involved in a tragic boating accident and passers-by failed to lend a hand.
I would hope that such an incident would never occur here in our community. That said, Be Kind to Humankind Week is an opportunity for all of us to pause and ask ourselves how we can embrace humankindness more fully.
I am fortunate to work for an organization whose tagline is “Hello Humankindness.” It is a privilege to interact daily with caregivers who are by nature compassionate and are motivated by the opportunity to relieve suffering.
Recently I received a heartfelt thank-you letter from one of our patients. He was unexpectedly admitted to one of our hospitals for double pneumonia. Though in his 50s, he had never spent a night in a hospital, let alone four days. His wife and children were scrambling to take care of an urgent business issue, since he was suddenly incapacitated. He was struggling to breathe. He was alone and frightened. A respiratory therapist came into his room, and sensing the patient’s distress, put his hand on the man’s shoulder and reassured him that he was going to be OK. That therapist likely doesn’t even remember that moment, but it was a huge thing for this patient.
Acts of kindness don’t just benefit the recipient. According to research by William IsHak, a professor of psychiatry in California, participating in acts of kindness can boost oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that can have significant positive impacts on our body. Other studies are exploring kindness as a treatment for depression, anxiety and even pain.
So how do we adopt a kindness mindset? It likely starts with being aware of those around us and looking for opportunities. It could be as simple as letting someone go ahead of you in line when you’re not in a hurry, leaving a positive comment on someone’s social media, genuinely complimenting a stranger’s outfit, picking up a piece of litter that isn’t yours or offering to help someone carry something.
And while there are widespread perceptions that we are becoming a less kind society, perhaps that is not completely the case. An article earlier this year from from the University of Berkeley shared this:
“After COVID-19 began, the World Happiness Report found a pandemic of kindness — an increase in donating, volunteering, and helping strangers in every region of the world. Although there was a decline in these activities from 2023 to 2024, kindness (by these metrics) is still about 10% higher than pre-pandemic. Helping strangers — the most common of the three forms of kindness in most places — is still 18% higher.”
So as we observe Be Kind to Humankind Week on Aug. 25-31 this year, I want to thank Ms. Jara for her work to turn our attention to the power of kindness. And I invite all of us to adopt the habit of doing random acts of kindness. Now is a good time begin.