I covered this holiday before, in early 2013... Rereading that two-year-old piece now, I feel that a huge gap has appeared in the meantime. I advocated then ridding ourselves of everyday micro-aggression, rediscovering our kindness, and smiling to people who trample our feet in public transport vehicles. That list looked so simple and ordinary, even banal, didn’t it?
It seems we have changed in the meantime. Or maybe not. Perhaps we have always been this way somewhere deep inside, and regrettable circumstances have just exposed our true essence.
Even though there will always be people who are not capable of kindness and empathy, I see that many have “released” their kindness into the world. Faced with a very real foreign aggression instead of everyday troubles, people have embraced each other instead of hiding in their shells. We see unprecedented levels of volunteerism and a lot of community initiatives... Helping others is finally becoming the norm. This is what happens when people get hopeful. The main thing now is not to lose it, to prevent woes and disappointments from shoving our kindness back into the innermost parts of our souls...
I wish love, peace, and kindness to you, people!
