The Kindness Revolution

Revolutions never start at the top. If we dare to dream of a more loving country – kinder, more compassionate, more cooperative, more respectful, more inclusive, more egalitarian, more harmonious, less cynical – there’s only one way to start turning that dream into a reality: each of us must live as if this is already that country.

2020 was ravaged by bushfires and a worldwide pandemic, and marked by the Black Lives Matter movement, impacting in different ways our mental and emotional health and the economy. As we reflect on the challenges and upheaval we faced during 2020, there are fundamental questions many of us are asking ourselves: what really matters to me? Am I living the kind of life I want? What sort of society do we want to become?

Hugh Mackay urges us not to let those questions go, and points to our inspiring displays of kindness and consideration, the sacrifices we’ve made for the common good, and our heightened appreciation of the value of local neighbourhoods and communities during the pandemic. Could we become renowned as a loving country, rather than simply a ‘lucky’ one? The question is whether we are ready to apply the lessons 2020 has taught us.

To celebrate the launch of Hugh Mackay’s latest book and the culmination of a lifetime of work, The Kindness Revolution, join Catherine Carter and Salon Canberra in conversation with Hugh Mackay as we explore how crises and catastrophes often turn out to be the making of us and why radical kindness is the key to healing.

“To be kind, always and to everyone, is to be fully, gloriously human, and every act of kindness is one more step towards a better society”

Hugh Mackay

About Hugh Mackay

Hugh Mackay is a social psychologist, and the author of twenty-two books, including eight novels. His non-fiction writing covers social analysis, psychology, communication and ethics. He has had a sixty-year career in social research and was also a weekly newspaper columnist for twenty-five years. He is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and of the Royal Society of New South Wales and has been awarded honorary doctorates by five Australian universities. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015 and is currently an honorary professor in the Research School of Psychology at the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra.

The Kindness Revolution

Copies of The Kindness Revolution can be purchased from Booktopia.

Please note that numbers are limited for this free online event and bookings are essential. This presentation will be broadcast via Zoom. A link will be sent to you via email prior to the event.