World Kindness Day – November 13, 2025
Today, as we observe World Kindness Day, I found myself tracing its evolution and its deeper implications. This observance began as a voluntary sector initiative—the World Kindness Movement—formalised in 1998, and since then it has spread across the world. In countries such as Australia, it has even entered the school calendar, with programmes like the “Cool to Be Kind Award” encouraging kindness among schoolchildren.
An Education to Be Kind
To my mind, kindness naturally aligns with the more familiar but often neglected domain of peace education. In fact, it may be seen as a corollary to it. Kindness is one of those defining traits that sets humans apart from other beings. It is our natural response to any person—or creature—who finds themselves in need of material, physical, or psychological support.
Of course, human beings differ in how spontaneously this response arises—much depends on temperament, upbringing, and circumstances. Yet, like any virtue, kindness can be cultivated. Indeed, I would call any education good if it succeeds in nurturing kindness, whether as a habit or a conscious moral choice.
In my own self-examination, I have realised that whatever kindness I possess is something I have learned in discerning my call to be a Christian rather than something that came naturally to me. I must also confess that I remain far from where I wish to be. Too often, I find myself leaning toward a Pharisaical exactness of getting things done, rather than the gentler disposition that kindness demands.
The Kindness Guru – Jesus
When I search the gospels for the literal word “kindness,” I do not find it on Jesus’ lips. Yet the Greek text uses related terms such as eleos (mercy), oiktirmos (compassion), and chrestotēs (kindness). The Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7), comes closest in spirit. Jesus’ call to perfection — “Be merciful (perfect) as your Father in heaven is merciful (perfect)” (Matt. 5:48; Luke 6:36) — affirms kindness as divine imitation.
The Gospels offer numerous moments where Jesus’ kindness shines forth:
— His acceptance of Zacchaeus (Luke 19)
— His compassion for the widow of Nain who lost her only son (Luke 7)
— The parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) and the Forgiving Father (Luke 15)
— His praise of the widow’s two small coins (Luke 21)
— His defence of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11)
Luke’s Gospel in particular is often called the Gospel of Mercy. I am still learning how to distinguish fully between “mercy” and “kindness,” for the two often blend into one another.
Jesus also quotes Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (cf. Matt. 9:13). In our own times, this spectrum of mercy-kindness is complemented by related values such as compassion and solidarity—physical, spiritual, even virtual. Solidarity with the suffering has become a modern expression of kindness.
Pauline Teaching on Christian Life
Among the New Testament writers, St. Paul gives the most articulate teaching on kindness. For him, it is not a mere moral suggestion but a virtue rooted in the Spirit and central to Christian living.
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Ephesians 4:32 offers the clearest exhortation: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…”
Kindness here becomes an essential expression of Christian forgiveness. -
Colossians 3:12 deepens the vision by listing kindness among the virtues believers must “put on” daily, alongside humility, meekness, and patience.
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Galatians 5:22 identifies kindness as one of the fruits of the Spirit — a divine gift growing within those who walk by the Spirit.
Taken together, these passages form a small but coherent Pauline theology of kindness:
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Its practice — “Be kind to one another.”
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Its cultivation — “Put on kindness.”
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Its source — “Fruit of the Spirit.”
Indian Heritage of Karuṇā
In Malayalam, karuṇyam or karuṇa is the closest equivalent to kindness. I am unsure if the two are distinguishable. A well-loved couplet from Malayalam subhāṣitangal (often attributed to Sree Narayana Daiva Shatakam) describes the ideal human:
prasaadam vadanattilum, karunyam darshanattilum
madhuryam vaakkilum chernullavane purushottaman
This anonymous couplet highlights kindness — here, kindness manifested in one’s very appearance — complemented by graciousness of face and sweetness of speech. Together they shape the purushottaman, the ideal human being.
Even more ancient is the Indian Buddhist heritage. The Buddha, who lived centuries before Jesus, taught four cardinal virtues for his disciples:
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maitri / mettā – loving-kindness
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karuṇā – compassion
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muditā – sympathetic joy
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upekṣā / upekkhā – equanimity
These map closely across Sanskrit and Pāli, expressing a profound vision of moral-spiritual cultivation.
In the 20th century, India experienced personifications of karuna in Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. I consider the struggle of Medha Patkar for the people and the ecosystems being displaced by huge development projects, and that by Wangchuk for a clean environment in Laddak acts of kindness in the 21st century.
Kindness in Practice
What might it mean, in daily life, to grow in kindness — to “become human” or even “become divine” (mālakānusa).
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Wearing a smile for all, even in adversity.
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Listening attentively, and being willing to discern truth even in the words of one who seems an adversary.
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Willingness to share one’s time, energy, talents, or money — especially with those in distress.
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Avoiding blame and ridicule; even necessary correction should aim at healing and improvement, not fault-finding.
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Living as ecological citizens: reducing disposables, avoiding needless burning, minimising energy use, protecting biodiversity, and fostering sustainable food production.
Postscript
Interestingly, two stalwart South Indian politicians bore in their names the very word for kindness — Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu and Karunakaran of Kerala. They were indeed a presence of karuṇa to many (and, as politics goes, its opposite to some). May they receive eternal karuṇa. Sadly, Christians in India seldom choose such deeply meaningful names.
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