During the Second World War, London and other major UK cities were systematically bombed to weaken resistance and break morale before a planned invasion. What became known as the Blitz started on September 7th, 1940 and continued for another 57 days of unrelenting terror and destruction. Later in the war, the British and their allies carried out similar devastating bombing raids in major cities in Germany. The dominant theory of the day assumed that societies would crumble into anarchy and chaos and that people would quickly feel helpless, confused, and defeated. What happened was the opposite: the population worked together to care for the injured and repair the damage with a revitalised shared purpose and camaraderie.
Although the Blitz was a time of crisis in the past, we face many different challenges today. With wars and conflicts, economic and political uncertainty, mass migration of refugees, and the global climate crisis, which are all interconnected.
Back in our distant past, we lived in small groups as nomadic foragers for tens of thousands of years. During that time, the archaeological and anthropological evidence indicates that we were friendly and open to strangers, that there was managed equality among group members, that we had an intimate connection with the natural world, and that we were relatively peaceful and healthy. Then, around ten thousand years ago, we began to settle and claim land as early farmers.
It’s from this point that strong individuals grabbed power and warfare began. In his 2020 book, “Humankind”, Rutger Gregman points out that, like our ancient ancestors, humans are fundamentally peaceful, kind, and generous. The book traces our deep historical path all the way to the difficult times we face today. Part of the challenge is bringing the same primal human qualities of our ancient ancestors into the modern world. Even in the past few years, we have experienced positive change. From taking our relationship with the environment more seriously and addressing inequality to a greater awareness of the food we eat.
The emergence of secular mindfulness may also play a part in this change, as it encourages us to explore and become more aware of who we are and our place in the world. With greater awareness and openness, it’s much easier to find the capacity to feel and act with compassion, kindness, and care. With mindfulness, we are more aware of our emotions and those of others, even when these feelings are difficult. We also learn what it means to be kind and caring with ourselves, which is a great place to start bringing more kindness into the world.
There are still people alive today who can tell us what it was like during the early 1940s. What they often say is that although times were tough, they never felt more alive and connected to others. They had a shared purpose and accepted difficulties like the uncertainty of the situation and food rationing. Similarly, recent research on what it means to be human may help us on our journey through the multiple crises we face today.
Suggested weekly practice
- Notice that you do not need to feel kind to be able to act with kindness or to speak with kindness
- Watch out for opportunities to practise acts of kindness with people you know as well as complete strangers.
- Bring kindness and care into how you communicate during the week, whether this is through reading and writing or listening and speaking.
Guidance
Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes or lower your gaze while the meditations play.
- Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
- Then play the second practice to explore kindness in difficult times.