The Kindness of Strangers (Lonely Planet Travel Literature)

by Don George

If at the beginning and end of our lives we depend upon others’ kindness, why then in the middle should we not act kindly towards others?

If we live every day, whether at home or away, with kindness, if we approach the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity and appreciation, if we encounter others with respect and openness, if we see our human differences as enriching rather than threatening, we will go a long way toward creating a world graced, interlaced, with peace and opportunity.

If humanity learnt to gauge its every action by the simple criterion of kindness – always to ask if it is, on balance, the kindest thing to do? – the world would be much happier.

I guess it is an okay world after all. Random as all hell, but sometimes, when you least expect it and least deserve it, randomly good.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.