The animated film The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse was on the telly over the festive period. Based on the bestseller by Charlie Mackesy about a group of animals who become unlikely friends, it is exceedingly soppy. Wonderfully so.
My eldest daughter and I were watching it and couldn’t even look at each other as we were weeping so much. The line that really got us was when the horse says: “Nothing beats kindness. It sits beyond all things”.
It is so true. It’s hard to imagine how many of us would have coped over the last few years of the Covid pandemic without the helping hand of neighbours, friends and local communities. My street’s WhatsApp turned out to be a mighty machine. And it was the same picture all over Scotland.
Just as we emerged shakily from that disaster we were plunged headlong into the cost of living crisis which has tested us even further. But there are always people ready to help, some in the most selfless ways imaginable. Look at the volunteers who run the food banks, where would we be without them? Sadly, an unprecedented number of people have become reliant on this service and it’s utterly heartbreaking. The Trussel Trust has reported that in Fife alone their food banks have seen a 25% increase in the number of Scots coming in.
Many of them are people who, a few years ago, wouldn’t have dreamt that they would ever have to look for help in this way but rising energy prices, rocketing food costs and soaring inflation have a created a perfectly awful economic storm which is causing untold misery.
Charities says they’re going to need many more volunteers this year as they fear times are unfortunately going to get much harder. They’re urging folk to step up and give some of their free time. It’s a win-win situation though, according to experts, as being kind is good for you as well. In The Post last week, Claudia Hammond, author of The Keys To Kindness, said that being kind can improve your sense of well being and that one of the effects of kindness is that people feel connected to each other.
It never ceases to amaze me how great people can be and the lengths they will go to to make a difference. There was a great item on the news this week about the local community in Aberfeldy in Perthshire which has opened its arms to Ukrainian refugees. At the start of the conflict they made it their mission to welcome as many refugees as they possibly could.
They arranged flights, visas and somewhere for them to live and now there are 33 young families who’ve escaped the war-torn country living in the peaceful village. To thank these selfless residents, a surprise concert was arranged for them a few weeks ago by Jackie Bird’s unsung heroes programme starring Brit award-winning singer Tom Walker. A wonderful thank you to a group of Scots who’ve gone above and beyond.
It’s easy to get despondent looking at the news or doom-scrolling through Twitter but don’t you think most people are essentially kind? I like to think so. The good stuff outweighs the bad. For every bit of negative energy, there is a positive if you look. There is always light in the darkness, always people doing good things for good reasons.
Just for one example, it’s been incredible to see the world of rugby come together to raise awareness and money for Motor Neurone Disease research. The Scotland rugby legend Doddie Weir started the ball rolling when he was tragically diagnosed five years ago, but my goodness, his pals got behind him and shook up the medical community.
Sadly, big Doddie died last month but his legacy is astounding. Kindness can achieve so much, we should never forget that.
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