I’ve just got off the phone to my Mum and Dad. Mum’s just put the bins out for all the bungalows in their cul-de-sac, and read out Rene’s post to her (her eyes are going). On Tuesday, Dad had to climb through a window for Jim, who’d locked his keys inside his house.

During the pandemic I’ve seen lots of people respond to fear and uncertainty with kindness.

We've come together

This experience has changed all of us.

Our emotions have intensified as we’ve tried to get to grips with what’s happening and we’ve been talking more openly about how we feel. According to Twitter’s ‘History in the tweeting’ report (1), 33% of people tweeting about mental health hadn’t tweeted about it before.

Work environments have questioned how they could be more supportive and adaptable. Co-op Digital said on their blog that “It's ok to do what you need to do” (2).

“It’s ok to...
prioritise your mental health
tell people when you’re not ok
be kind to yourself as well as everyone else.”

We’ve empathised with colleagues, been flexible with working hours, we’ve understood if people need to take time out. We have noticed when others are struggling and we’ve listened.

We’ve wanted to do our bit. Within four days of the NHS Responder scheme launching, the NHS announced they’d had 750,000 people sign up – three times their target (3).

We’ve formed community response groups, we’ve forged new local connections and as a result we’ve helped those who are at risk. Organisations and charities have changed focus, adapting business models and processes to help those who need help the most.

There’s been a 428% increase in average daily mentions about helping our neighbours (2). We shopped for them, got their prescriptions and checked in on them.

Despite the world being complicated and problems being hard, we’ve come together in kindness to try to get through this.‍

Rethinking what we value

Thinking about survival inevitably leads us to consider death. With a more acute sense of our own mortality and heightened consideration for the shortness of life, we’ve been forced to reflect on what’s important. We’ve been given the opportunity to rethink what we value. Getting this perspective has allowed us to consider something higher than ourselves.

Covid-19 has affected us at all levels – physically, emotionally and economically. As emotions intensify, we have a choice about how we react to this uncertainty. Many have chosen to react with courage – a courage that puts the collective needs of society over individual needs.

And in a society that’s been divided by Brexit, the pandemic has highlighted a care for each other that had recently felt unreachable. We’ve realised that we need to rely on each other to solve the problem.

We’ve realised that what matters most is each other.

And, if we continue to act selflessly after the pandemic has passed, maybe we could make real long-lasting, wide-reaching change.

Is it possible that kindness could translate into policy?Is this our chance to develop a more human-centred approach to solving problems?

Could this be an opportunity to reassess our value systems, resolve inequalities and rethink society?

Leaving our mark

According to Scientific American (4), as well as improving our own wellbeing and connecting us with others, acts of kindness are contagious:

“Witnessing kindness inspires kindness, causing it to spread.”

If we’re kind, others will be kind – it will infect others and spread.

I think kindness is the most powerful thing we can give as humans. This is how we’ll have a lasting and positive impact on others and future generations, giving us – and them – a greater purpose that encourages empathy, compassion and connection. A society where community, collectivism and the needs of others matter more.

Not my story, but our story.

This is what I’ve been thinking about.

Both my mum and dad are in their 70s. Mum has ongoing health issues. Dad’s in remission for cancer. They’re the kindest people I know.

They’re off to get Anita some corned beef in the morning.

‍

(1) History in the tweeting, Twitter Marketing
(2) It's ok to do what you need to do, Co-op Digital
(3) Source: england.nhs.uk, ‘NHS army now ready to support even more people’
(4) Source: Kindness contagion, Scientific American