Be the Nice
Dear Collective,
This week, our intention is: There are millions of good, decent people out there in the world. If you cannot find a nice, good person, be the nice, good person.
It sounds easy, but it is a challenging directive, especially when the news cycle or personal struggles make the world feel dark and segmented. We can often fall victim to inattentional blindness, missing the good that is right in front of us because our focus is elsewhere—usually locked onto the worry, the negativity, or the perceived threat.
Think of the study where people were asked to watch a basketball video and count the number of passes made. Most people missed a person in the gorilla suit walking right through the frame. In life, that "gorilla" is often the need for kindness, and we miss it because we’re too busy counting our own problems.
We are currently navigating a time where social safety nets are strained, and hardship is becoming more visible. When we see suffering, the worst instinct is to normalize it or allow ourselves to be segmented by the divisive, dehumanizing language of extremism (like using terms intended to reduce the worth of another human being, like alien).
We must actively reject that.
The true strength of the Collective lies in our capacity for moral action. Don't wait for permission or motivation to be kind. The greatest display of character is choosing to be the good, even when everything else tells you not to:
Be the one to donate to the local food bank.
Be the one who pauses before using divisive language, choosing to see a person instead of a political label.
Be the one to offer support to someone struggling, even if their struggle isn't yours.
This isn't about grand gestures; it’s about micro-actions that build a better society. Every act of kindness, every moment of choosing understanding over judgment, is a vote for the world we want to live in. We build a kinder nation and better people by starting with the most controllable unit: you. Go be the helper.
With Strength and Community,
Charlie