4 WAYS PEOPLE SHOW

KINDNESS AROUND THE

WORLD

It’s easy to forget that kindness is ALSO universal. Every

culture has its own customs and traditions of kindness,
compassion, and hospitality. Here are just five of the
endless ways people show kindness around the world.

Southern Africa: Ubuntu

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: An
anthropologist tries to get a group of African children
to run a “winner take all” race with a basket of fruit as
a prize. It doesn’t go as planned. Instead of racing
each other, the children all hold hands. They cross the
finish line together and share the fruit. When the
anthropologist asked them why they cooperated
instead of competing, they said “Ubuntu, how can one
of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”

Japan: Omotenashi and Senbetsu

Omotenashi is a way of life in Japan. People with colds
wear surgical masks to avoid infecting others.
Neighbours deliver gift-wrapped boxes of washing
powder before beginning building work – a gesture to
help clean your clothes from the dust that will
inevitably fly about.”
You can also see this kindness in the practice of
“senbetsu,” a “goodbye gift,” usually of money, that’s
given to people who are about to go on a trip, move, or
change jobs. The recipient is supposed to return the
kindness, of course, with a small gift or souvenir.

Italy: Caffè Sospeso

This tradition began in Naples, 100 years ago. Here’s
how it works. If you’ve been lucky, or you’ve had a good
day, or you just feel like paying it forward, you can go
into a coffee bar and order a “caffè sospeso.” You pay
for two coffees, but you drink only one. Then, someone
else can come in and claim the “suspended coffee” if
they need a hit of rich brown liquid sunshine.

Iran: Wall of Kindness

In 2015, an anonymous Iranian set up a “wall of

kindness” in Mashhad. The idea quickly spread
throughout Iran. A “wall of kindness” is a wall set up as
a donation space. It’s equipped with hangers for
clothes, and sometimes with space for food and other
items like books. People drop off useful items they no
longer need. People who do need them, take them. For
this to work, everyone has to be thoughtful and
disciplined.
The concept has since spread beyond Iran. Places as
diverse as Rome, Italy; Liuzhou, China; Karachi,
Pakistan, and Mysore, India have all built “walls of
kindness” of their own.