Published in the May 2025 Edition
By Janan Broadbent, Ph. D.
Last summer, I went to Columbia Mall to do some shopping. When I walked back to my car in the garage, I saw a gentleman and two young people, a boy and a girl, standing next to it. The gentleman asked me if that was my car, and I wondered what the problem might be. He pointed to the decal on my car (see below). He went on to say how reassuring it was to see it. In that moment, we connected with human kindness, acceptance, need for caring and welcoming spirit. We discussed our sense of living in a society where that feeling of warmth towards one another, regardless of age, appearance and so on should be the expected norm. We ended up with a hug…
So, at this time of PRIDE, I remember that day. I hope you all have such memories. I am not naïve enough to disregard the reality of what is going on around us, especially now. But I also maintain the hope that the human spirit will overcome adversity, sustain its positive qualities, and move towards calmer waters. The physiological body, our hardware, was not made to stay alert to danger constantly, to always watch for danger or threats via the stress hormone, cortisol, ever present. In the words of a wiser person than I am, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual-artist.