UK Kindness Conference - various venues
Being considerate to others is becoming increasingly difficult in our fast-paced society. Do unto others as you would be done by, can be interpreted in two very different ways. Citing anti-social behaviour, party wall agreement disputes, and neighbour-rage, someone said to me, `It’s better not to know your neighbour today, let alone want to help them.’ How has this situation come about?
London 2011: Are We Kind Enough?
10th November 2011, 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA
more details
A recent study carried out by the Singapore Kindness Movement showed that forty-three per cent of those polled rated themselves high on graciousness, while only 15 per cent rated others likewise. Is this not in itself a reversal of the concept? Is the notion of grace something that is awarded to you, rather than how you rate yourself? Is our lack of kindness due to a misinterpretation of what it means? Acknowledging the kind deeds of others has been replaced by `kindness boasting’.
Helpful salesmen, bank managers and even insurance advisors are all of the past. `Everyone rips you off, these days’ is how most people approach their most sensitive and anxiety-producing affairs. Are government regulations and corporate practices the cause or the effect of stress in society? Can the fast-buck culture be curtailed or are we all caught up in the same spiral?
The kindness community is no longer trivialised but acknowledged as a modern movement to compliment or, in some cases, replicate religious practice. However, how can we continue to encourage and develop this goodwill practice but avoid the usual pitfalls of sentimentality, commercialisation, misinterpretation, and exploitation?
Based on the fact that people only derive the feel good factor of kindness when they are allowed to choose how they display it, who they feel is fairly in need of their charity and are directly accountable for their act of decency, how do we stimulate empathy and kindness in our communities?
