Declaration of Kindness
Declaration of Kindness
Our Inheritance
We, the youth and rising generation, recognize the imperative need for kindness in the world in which we belong. We are at a crossroads of connection in our history. Loneliness and isolation pervade our personal lives as a remnant of recent world events, making connections difficult. With differences in ideology and belief, many feel significant polarization and animosity among ourselves. Despite the unique beauty in every person, we often struggle to discover a true understanding of one another.
Technology, which has the power to connect people across vast distances, is used instead to divide. Contention drives content creation, and the guise of anonymity and screens dehumanize our interactions. Our politics, which should be places where we discuss the highest ideals and aspirations of our nation, have become a reflection of our division and anger. Our institutions often do what is easy, rather than what is right.
Despite these challenges we also know that kindness exists in abundance, and it is being tested. It is at a dangerous breaking point, pushed to the background by stress, fear, anger, division, and hate. The urgency is real, and the responsibility to act is ours. It is time to bring kindness into the forefront of our culture—to let it shape the way we engage with one another, with our communities, and with the world. We must summon the courage and intentional resolve to make kindness a habit within ourselves and the communities we interact with. In the words of Dr. Eboo Patel, “We the varied peoples of a nation struggling to be reborn are defeating the things we don’t like by building the things we do” and we wish to build a better world, with kindness.
Our Vision
A quote attributed to Dr. Albert Einstein says, “Imagination is everything. It’s the preview of life’s coming attractions,” and so we would like to share our vision, or preview of what the world can become.
We envision a world where our common humanity gives kindness a chance to ripple exponentially. The most effective kind acts aren’t large sporadic ones, but consistent, quiet, simple, everyday acts performed by individuals to those in their spheres of influence. Individuals will feel safe from judgement or manipulation, allowing them to reach out of their comfort zone and to expand their circles of inclusion until it encompasses all of humanity. People will show compassion, forgiveness, and willingness to accept change or differences. In our future, relationships will be seen as essential, not transactional. Polarity will be viewed through a lens of understanding. Individuals will know their neighbor, be part of their community, and try each day to do deliberate acts of kindness to those around them.
Aristotle is purported to have said, “educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all”. In our places of education, we will prioritize empathy and compassion. We will not only teach academic skills but emotional intelligence and understanding. We envision places and spaces for dialogue and connection. Our schools will be places where people from varied backgrounds and different experiences can find common ground. Our schools will be environments of kindness, supporting both students and educators alike.
In our institutions we envision a world where they work to promote humanity’s intrinsic kindness. Our businesses won’t just be places that stimulate the financial economy and offer livelihood. They will also stimulate an economy of kindness through an understanding of the societal influence they will wield, not just for profit, but for positivity.
In politics we see a world where our elected leaders reflect the best ideals our citizens hold to. We will allow politicians to feel safe to do what is right for humanity instead of what is just right for one political party or viewpoint. We envision a world where our discourse is dignified and we, kindly, challenge ideas, instead of attacking people.
This is the world we imagine, where kindness is common from the most powerful institutions to the quietest citizen. We commit to doing our part to make it happen.
Our Commitment
As the rising generation we see our youth as a source of strength and potential. Not only can we create an impact now, but we have a long future ahead where we will sow seeds of kindness. Where we see injustice in society, we have time and energy to address it and help build something better. If we see unkindness in institutions, we are just joining them and have a lifetime to ripple out our influence and make them kinder. Our youth is our power because we have many kind years to offer while on this Earth.
In our individual lives we commit to finding shared purpose and common ground. We will strengthen our network of connections and push past exclusion. Small acts of courage and kindness have the power to create lasting change, and we refuse to wait. Through intentional everyday actions, we will shape a world where kindness is the foundation for future generations.
We vow to lead this fight by sowing the seeds for a kinder future—by choosing to be open-minded and vulnerable with one another. We will ask questions, express curiosity, and break down walls instead of building them. Kindness must be intentional—starting now, within our own circles of influence. Like water spread on a patch of grass, we will nourish the garden of humanity around us through our kind acts as we cultivate the world we want to live in. We will widen our circles of inclusion and grow larger gardens of kindness around us.
The root word for kindness is “innate” or “nature”. As human beings, kindness truly is our innate nature. It lives within each and every one of us. We just need a little push to uncover it and let it shine brighter than any issue in our world. A kind future is built on the simple kind actions of the people we interact with every day. Simple actions that in time will create a community in which kindness is reciprocated. A ripple of kindness in one part of the world can create waves of change everywhere.
We, the youth, encourage you to feel the urgency and necessity of kindness and invite you to join us in building a kinder world.