A Little Bit of Goodness: Ours To Do Together
We live in a time when headlines blur into one another — conflict, division, climate disaster. A global mental health crisis simmers beneath it all, subtly influencing our daily behaviors and emotional lives — how we cope, connect and carry on. No wonder life can feel too heavy, too broken, too beyond repair. So we retreat into our private bubbles, protecting what little peace we can find.
But even in the midst of this vulnerability, I come back to this: There’s something about consistent kindness in everyday interactions that seems to reweave our connection with one another and the world And now more than ever, we’re being called to restore that belief — both in ourselves and in one another — by placing human goodness back at the heart of how we live.
When I recently listened to a panel on the future of education and contemplative practice, it felt like a moment of synchronicity — resonating with what I’ve experienced and witnessed over the years. Hosted at the University of California, Berkeley by the Greater Good Science Center, the conversation brought together neuroscientist Dr. Richard J. Davidson, educator Dr. Justin Kelley, mindfulness author Susan Kaiser Greenland, and teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Together, they explored how education can become a path toward inner development and stronger social connection — not only for students, but for educators and communities as well.
And yet, the real “turn-the-page” moment — and what inspired me to write this blog — came when Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, shared research showing that qualities like compassion, presence and kindness aren’t just nice add-ons to life. They’re fundamental to our well-being. Even more importantly — they’re trainable.
Dr. Davidson reminded us that we were born with an innate seed of basic goodness. It was there from the very beginning — before the cynicism, before the fear, before the anxiety. Given that this quality is both intrinsic and teachable, then surely it deserves a central place in how we educate and raise the next generation.
Listening to the panelists, I was taken back to Mindfulness Without Borders. (formerly Between4Eyes) the non-profit organization I founded in 2007. Back then, I was constantly moved by the transformation I witnessed in high school youth once they felt seen, heard and valued — the very qualities that awaken and strengthen our sense of inner goodness. Every learning circle, workshop and mindfulness practice was rooted in the same ethos: that building healthy social and emotional skills positively contributes to navigating the challenges of life with compassion, care and a deepened capacity for human kindness — motivating individuals to treat others with respect and dignity.
All the while, we are living in times of emotional and societal turbulence — forces that so often divides us and distances us from our own basic goodness. It’s no wonder our nervous systems are fried and we find ourselves exhausted, reactive, and unsure whether our efforts can truly help shift the polarizing tides.
That brings me to the wisdom of Desmond Tutu who said:
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
There’s something profoundly radical about choosing to see goodness not as a luxury reserved for easier times, but as the very foundation that makes difficult times bearable. Goodness isn’t a greeting card sentiment. It’s not about toxic positivity or pretending suffering doesn’t exist. Real goodness is gritty. It’s showing up when showing up is hard. It’s noticing when someone is barely holding it together — and offering your support. Goodness is the teacher who stays late to help a struggling student. The healthcare worker who holds a patient’s hand. The person who picks up litter not because anyone’s watching, but because they care about the space we all share.
Your little bit of good can be a living example of what it means to lead with the intelligence of the heart — slowing down to really hear someone’s story, pausing before reacting or meeting misunderstanding with curiosity instead of blame. These gestures may seem small, but they leave an imprint. And there’s growing evidence that these choices aren’t just emotionally wise — they’re neurologically transformative. Scientists studying emotional intelligence have found that such practices can actually reshape our neural pathways. And yet, beyond the brain scans lies something more profound: these are the moments that create what psychologists call emotional contagion — the way one person’s calm presence can help regulate another’s nervous system.
This is the ripple effect in action — your inner work becoming a healing force, touching others individually, in relationships and throughout community. This isn’t abstract goodness — it’s real, lived and available to all of us. A little bit of goodness, done together, might just be what helps us remember our shared humanity and reconnect in heart-felt ways.
So I’m curious: whose life might you touch because you chose to lead with goodness — trusting that this gentleness is exactly what our world needs?
