The Power of Kindness

Recently, I shared the story of a woman on a train who gathered her belongings to make room for a stranger. She had every reason that morning to think only of herself. Instead, she made a small space for someone else – me – and that one gesture opened a door neither of us expected.

That is kindness. It also is where generosity begins.

Chapter 4 in WISEgenerosity ends with a declaration: if only one idea from the book stays with you, I hope it is the power of kindness. Much of what we explore in giving comes back to this simple virtue. And most of the contentment and goodwill we experience in life comes from it – both the kindness we offer and the kindness we receive.

Kindness is the form of generosity available to everyone. It requires no wealth, no plan, and no special abilities. A child sharing a snack is practicing it. A young adult making time for a friend who is struggling is practicing it. A parent in the fullest years of career and family, choosing patience over a sharp word, is practicing it. A grandparent offering presence and a listening ear is practicing it. Every age and every stage of life has its own kindness to share.

You can see it happening all around you if you look. Someone holds a door for a person carrying a cumbersome package. A driver lets another car merge. Two strangers make eye contact and one of them smiles. None of these will make the news. All of them make a day better.

An ancient Jewish teaching captures why kindness deserves such a high place. The tradition speaks of hesed, or loving-kindness, and the Talmud observes that acts of kindness are superior to charity in three respects. Charity can only be done with money; kindness can be done with your person as well. Charity can be given only to the poor; kindness can be shown to rich and poor alike. And charity only serves the living; kindness reaches even those who have died, in the honor we show their memory. Kindness has no gatekeeper.

There is one honest caution. Kindness can be superficial. A single pleasant moment, unrepeated, fades quickly. What gives kindness its power is thoughtfulness and repetition. The friend who checks in every week. The neighbor whose small helpfulness never stops. The colleague whose encouragement you can count on. Practiced consistently, kindness becomes a bond, and bonds are what build families, workplaces, and communities that last.

That is why the daily Think On This posts this week turn to kindness. Beginning Monday morning, the series will spend the week on this one idea: how to notice kindness, how to offer it, and how to let it become a habit rather than an occasion. (Think On This is delivered through my WISEgenerosity LinkedIn page. If you’re not connected already, I’d welcome you doing so.)

Here is a simple place to start. Choose one deliberate act of kindness each day this week. Not a grand gesture. A note, a call, a door held, a moment of patience given freely. Then notice what it does – for the person who receives it and for you.

My friend on the train was in a dark, difficult place that day. She still had room to give. So do we.

All the best,

Chris Gabriel,
Founder, WISEgenerosity