On Kindness

Couple of years back, I visited Expo 2020 Dubai. It’s an extraordinary convention in which each country builds a pavilion to showcase its culture, accomplishments, and its take on a sustainable future. Pavilion after pavilion, our minds were blown away to newer heights. Israel, USA, Germany, Italy, UAE, India, Japan, it kept getting better and better.

Amidst all the incredible experiences we had that day, there is this small, very small act of kindness that stuck in my memory. I find myself telling this anecdote more often than the crazy things I saw at the Expo.

I was exploring the Expo with my cousin. We had purchased these passports that you can get stamped at each pavilion, and at the end of the day, you have a souvenir with records of your mini world tour. Cool right? We were so excited to fill them with as many stamps as possible.

At each pavilion, they had a dedicated counter and a volunteer who’d stamp it. Most of them would take the passport and stamp it in a hurry. They had a crowd to deal with and didn’t care which page they were putting the stamp on, how well the imprint was, whether it was properly aligned or not, etc.

We were disappointed when few of them ruined our “perfect” souvenir. But we were over expecting, right? I mean why should someone care how you want your stamp, when they’ve got tens of people in line? Right? Wrong.

When we reached the Japanese pavilion, the volunteer carefully held our passports, asked which page and where we want our stamps on, and put them with firm hands for a proper imprint. It was perfect!

Seems such a small thing, but it is in fact everything. It shows that she cares, that she values our emotions, and us as humans. I don’t know if you can resonate with this, but the fact that I’m narrating this story even after 3 years means that her small act of kindness has had a major impact.

To be kind doesn’t always mean being super helpful and generous. Just like that volunteer, you can be kind in simple ways. A little warmth in the eyes and voice when ordering at the restaurant can make the waiter comfortable. A bit more will to help a traveler with the directions can ease his journey. Being a little more patient with an old person can add to their confidence.

To simply listen and acknowledge someone’s presence can make their day. This is also an act of kindness.

Kindness is one of those things. It is the greatest virtue one can possess, the best gift one can give. But I feel it is understated. We don’t talk about it enough. While we value success, productivity, discipline, and even manners, we tend to put kindness somewhere in the back.

This essay is a gentle reminder to myself to put it on the forefront. To show kindness whenever I get a chance. And to never compromise on it no matter what.

Do you feel we need to talk more about kindness? Let me know by replying to this email or commenting on the website.

Good night!
Aachman