As a society, we appear to have lost the instinct for kindness and the willingness to extend the hand of friendship. Our responses to children, to older people, to strangers, are all conditioned by a concern not to offend and a fear of getting involved.
Our society has lost the instinct for kindness
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation today publishes Contemporary Social Evils, which argues that a dangerous erosion of trust and culture of fear now pervades our society. Here foundation head Julia Unwin looks at how we can reclaim our values
by Julia Unwin
https://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2009/jun/11/society-spirit-joseph-rowntree-foundation
Would you come to the aid of a lost child in a busy shopping centre? Would you give up your seat on the tube for a pregnant woman? Would you knock on your next door neighbour’s door to offer them a lift to the supermarket? These are questions we ask ourselves from time to time and we are often troubled by our honest responses.
As a society, we appear to have lost the instinct for kindness and the willingness to extend the hand of friendship. Our responses to children, to older people, to strangers, are all conditioned by a concern not to offend and a fear of getting involved.
Our recent public consultation into the social evils of today highlights a real concern for the way in which society increasingly values people for their economic contribution, at the expense of kindness and compassion.
Some blame the nature of regulation – while providing protection for some, it seems to have intimidated the majority. Others feel there has been a general decline in values: individual advancement is seen as more significant than the ability to care for others.
Whatever the reasons, we are uncomfortable with the society we have created. The idea of the common good has been lost and Britain today is experiencing a severe social recession – the effects of which are far more devastating and long-lasting than any economic recession.
There is, however, light at the end of this very dark tunnel. Our study has shown that the people are fed up with the status quo and are hungry for change.
So, how can we go about making the changes we need?
We need to rediscover humanity in our communities. Solidarity is a term little used today. Yet across the country, people are taking on the challenge of climate change by working together to reduce their carbon footprints through recycling and growing and selling local produce. The same is true of those who help people in need, or who volunteer in hospitals and schools to make sure people in our communities are cared for and nurtured.
From allotment societies to arts centres, conservation groups to internet cafes, housing co-operatives to car clubs, civic society is showing itself to be adaptive and resilient. It is demonstrating that solidarity is a product of a more serious, more engaged political discourse that is willing and able to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
Closely associated with this is the notion of hospitality, and the desire to create a world that is genuinely hospitable. A hospitable world is one that is a good steward of the earth, able to ration in the interests of generosity, not plunder in the pursuit of greed. It is a world in which the stranger is welcomed, the weak are supported and the dispossessed are empowered.
And finally there is civility. The generosity of spirit which allows for kindness, and politeness, that embraces difference without fear, and that genuinely sees an equality between people. Civility is at the core of an active, vibrant and welcoming society.
Without fear of being nostalgic, it is time to reclaim these values – the future of our society depends on them.