How acts of kindness fuel collective movements
The reminder I need today
When Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, there were many responses online from voters who were in disbelief that their candidate won. They felt shocked to have received their desired outcome. It felt strange to… feel happy?
And who could blame them? The last five years have been a firehose of challenges, one after another. Many people have lost their jobs, experienced health crises, and parented through school closures, all while the foundation of our country is rapidly changing. A five minute phone check can include emails from your boss about an upcoming deadline, a message from childcare that they ran out of extra clothes, a reminder to pick out a birthday gift for your mother in law, news alerts about Supreme Court rulings, texts from your best friend, a missed call from a potential business partner. Our brains and bodies were not made for this. We are all running 100 mph through our daily lives, and the things that used to run mostly in the background—democracy, checks and balances—are now front and center, too. It’s completely natural to feel overwhelmed and have a desire to check out.
The problems feel big. We’re already tired and overcommitted. How could we possibly take on these systemic issues?
I recently finished “New Happy: Getting Happiness Right In A World That’s Got It Wrong” by Stephanie Harrison. One of the most interesting parts of the book was that research shows that the best run countries, the ones with peace and happiness, did not get there through extraordinary leadership alone. The research found that these countries also had a high level of small acts of kindness. Harrison noted these acts of kindness are critical for a society in the midst of major change.
This quote has stayed with me:
Every time you do something good in the world, you are providing the evidence to someone else—a reason to keep believing in our collective goodness. If you are ever feeling despair about the world, tell yourself: “I’m going to be someone’s evidence.”
I am not my best self right now. We’re in a hard transition with our toddler—taking away the pacifier—and no one in my house slept well last night. It’s in these moments that I’m going to try to remember that I still have the capacity to be someone’s evidence. You never know what good they might create with a little more hope.
What I’m reading
Axios: TikTok's news push
Project C: Apply to be in the creator cohort at ONA
Associated Press: Life on the other side: Refugees from ‘old media’ flock to the promise of working for themselves
Nieman Lab: Nonprofit news executives share tips on handling the tough times
Charter: An exciting new chapter for Charter with its acquisition by The San Francisco Standard
See you next week,
Rachel
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