Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness

by George Saunders

What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering and I responded … sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.

Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth? Those who were kindest to you, I bet. It’s a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.

Now, the million-dollar question: What’s our problem—why aren’t we kinder?

Because kindness, it turns out, is hard—it starts out all rainbows and puppy dogs and expands to include … well, everything.

I wish you great happiness, all the luck in the world, and a beautiful summer.