Wan of a Kind V2.0

I am writing this from London where I am chairing the 7th General Assembly of the World Kindness Movement. 12 members from 9 countries are represented here. Some folks at home think that only Singapore has a kindness movement. Let me assure you that the 12 movements represented at this Assembly is only a fraction of the numerous kindness movements in the world. At this Assembly, we hope to come up with a strategy to onboard more members from around the world. When we are able to join the dots represented by the movements with the common goal of spreading kindness, we can make a difference in inspiring a more peaceful world. My first visit to London was in 1973 and I remember how impressed I was with the London Tube when Singapore was still decades away from having our own MRT. 2 days ago, I took the Tube downtown. It was not crowded as it wasn’t during the peak hours. I noticed that there were signs identifying priority seats, almost exactly like what we have in Singapore exc...

According to the Graciousness Index released in March, Gen Y (16-29 years old) have exceeded all the other generations in their sensitivity to kindness. As if to confirm this as a fact, PM Lee identified a number of Gen Y activists who are champions of kind acts, including Mohammed Farhan, the founder of Voluntaries. We honour all of these and others too many to mention, and in particular, we are very proud of Farhan who is one of us in the SKM family. He was our intern on two occasions and was also a part-time staff member. Recently, several groups of JC students from Pioneer, Victoria , Hwa Chong and Raffles called on me to share their ideas how we can inspire a kinder and more gracious Singapore. These Gen Y representatives are bubbling with exciting ideas to deal with the reality that many commuters are not aware of the needs around them. Gen Y are not only sensitive to the need to be kind, they are also prepared to give the benefit of doubt to those who are not giving up th...