E-Archive
BACK
From Editor's Desk
in Vol. 26 - July Issue - Year 2025
How Kindness Became a Radical Act
Andrzej Wojtas (Ph.D.)
There was a time when kindness was simply expected—holding the door open, helping a stranger, writing a thank-you note. Today, those small gestures seem increasingly rare, and when they do happen, they often come as a surprise. In a world driven by urgency, outrage, and self-promotion, kindness has become a quiet, radical act.
Modern life moves fast. We scroll past suffering, skim headlines, and swipe away people’s stories. Attention has become transactional, and empathy is filtered through character limits and comment sections. We’re taught to compete, to optimize, to stand out. But where in that race is there space for compassion?
The decline in kindness isn't just anecdotal—it shows in studies. Reports indicate increasing levels of loneliness, stress, and distrust. Yet amid the noise, people are still desperately craving connection. That’s where kindness comes in—not as some lofty moral ideal, but as a practical, transformative force.
Kindness slows things down. It requires awareness. It asks us to look up, to listen, to care without reward. And because of that, it can feel almost subversive in today’s climate. Helping someone without filming it. Apologizing without defensiveness. Giving without expectation. These aren’t grand gestures, but they are quietly powerful.
What’s more, kindness is contagious. One generous act can shift the energy of an entire room—or an entire day. It’s also deeply humanizing. We all carry burdens others can’t see. A kind word or a moment of patience can make the difference between despair and hope.
This isn’t to say kindness is easy. It takes effort, especially when we’re tired, busy, or hurting ourselves. But that’s what makes it radical: choosing empathy in a world that rewards indifference.
So yes, kindness might be rare—but it’s not gone. It’s still there, in the people who check on their neighbors, in the stranger who pays for someone’s coffee, in the colleague who listens without interrupting. These small acts remind us of our shared humanity—and they matter more than ever.
In a culture that often tells us to be sharper, louder, tougher—the soft, steady power of kindness may just be the most radical choice of all.
Andrzej Wojtas (Ph.D.), Chief Editor of MFN, E-mail: andrzej@mfn.li
