For a year, Helen Eveleigh and a fellow member of the Auroville Community in South India inquired about kindness among other community members in interviews and sharing circles. They learned that “kindness is so intrinsic to life that we don't even see it.” They found that an anonymous kind action inspires a kind action in return that has ripple effects; simply observing a simple kind act stirs the spirit; kindness does not expire but is remembered in shared objects and spaces; cultural values such as self-reliance, and anxiety about asking for help may be barriers. And sometimes, kindness is simply kind thoughts that may shift something deep within. “Kindness isn’t always something we do; it can arise from an inner opening.” As Auroville's founder once said, kindness is "an indispensable step towards the widening and illumination of the consciousness."
