Everything discussed at SXSW last week aligns with our Force For Good Project mission to be the good news in a world of bad news.

The river that ran through the event was that we’re all searching for meaning. And the key to meaning is mattering.

Part of our premise is that “Kind is the New Cool.”

But happiness is not about being cool, distant, detached, above it all. 

Happiness is being warm, engaged, generous, caring.

Being cool doesn’t contribute… Caring does. 

And I believe part of our mental health crisis is that we have forgotten to be humanKIND.

The good news is kindness is free, it only takes seconds, and anyone can do it.

We can do it by putting our phone down and giving someone our undistracted eyes and ears for five uninterrupted moments.

We can do it by giving an unexpectedly warm, welcoming smile to people on the subway or sidewalk.

We can do it by taking 60 seconds right now to leave a voice message for someone we care about, letting them know how much they mean to us.

Not a text. Yes, that’s easier, quicker, but it’s just letters on a plastic device. Texts have no human warmth. Texts don’t have our voice, don’t have our feelings, don’t have our intent. Only talking does that.

So much of what is wrong in our world can be solved by humanKIND.

And in a world where much is OUT of our control… being kind is very much IN our control.