The message of #BeKind21 is hopeful and heartbreaking; the world is heavy, let’s lift each other up.
We have each experienced profound loss this year and while many sources try to quantify that loss, we know that the true measure of the loss we’ve experienced during this period of overlapping and ongoing crises will never be able to be tabulated. I remind you of that not because I don’t think it’s at the forefront of each of our minds as we navigate a return to a world that may be different, as people ourselves that may also be different. Instead, I remind you (and myself) of this because I believe that there is no right next step that will work for all of our experiences and emotions. The answer for each of us will be different, but my hope for you, for me, and for our world, is that as we take those next steps they are marked with and met by kindness; kindness to ourselves for what we’ve endured and kindness for others.
It is in that kindness and that hope, that I invite you to join the fourth year of #BeKind21.
#BeKind21 is an invitation for us to practice kindness towards ourselves and others each day, from September 1st to 21st. Our hope is that our collective actions help build a kinder, more connected and just communities that foster mental wellness and model kindness. I need #BeKind21 this year and I am counting the days until I can scroll #BeKind21 on social media and follow how you’re participating, safely attend one of the service projects you organize, or celebrate as you pledge kind habits that may not only become part of your everyday moving forward, but may also save a life. This year, I’ll join a movement of over 200 partners, 7 million participants, and 160 million pledged acts of kindness, all working together toward a world that affirms and celebrates everyone for who they are and I would be honored for you to join me; in your schools, in your communities, in your workplaces, and in our online communities. Click here to sign up.
As members of our Born This Way Foundation community, you know kindness is action. Kindness has the power to change and save lives, transform communities, and encourage you to show love and care toward yourselves. I’m already getting to witness kindness at work in the Foundation’s 2021 Pride initiatives, which are focused on amplifying LGBTQ+ experiences and perspectives and highlighting and supporting organizations that serve LGBTQ+ youth. I am grateful to experience first-hand the generosity of so many of our partners and community members like you who are meeting this moment of uncertainty and celebration. In this work, and in all of our work, there is a deep understanding present that we will only survive and thrive together.
Kindness is, and has always been, the way forward.
Click here to sign up for #BeKind21 and invite a friend to sign up at bornthisway.foundation/
