The psychologist, social researcher and writer, Hugh Mackay has written a book titled ‘The Kindness Revolution.’
2020 was a year like no other for Australians with calamitous bushfires, floods and then all the anguish and uncertainty of a pandemic.
Mackay reflects on the challenges we faced and the questions many of us have posed in its wake.
What really matters to me? Am I living the kind of life I want? What sort of society do I want us to become?
He urges us to not allow those questions to simply fade without concrete answers, changes and the possibility of living better and kinder lives.
To achieve all of these will require a revolution in Mackay’s opinion.
He believes that 2020 had a fundamental impact upon us in terms of kindness, consideration and our sacrifices for the common good.
He asks then: “Could we become renowned as a loving country, rather than simply a ‘lucky’ one?”
It would be positive if we could on so many levels.
I believe we need to if we want to continue to be a lucky country.
I believe our levels of kindness and generosity have been eroded over the past 25 years.
We have allowed ourselves to be fearful of those who simply want to come to our country in order to live without fear.
We have become obsessed with ownership and assets (when I was a child, I never knew anyone who owned more than one house).
We rise to rage so quickly on our roads and streets, within our families and with others who dare to be different.
We have become self-obsessed which has seriously impacted upon our mental wellbeing.
These attributes have hardened.
It will probably take a revolution for us to action the dream to be of a loving country.
