TEDxSydney writer, Sarah Smythe, presents you with a new idea from thought leaders in our community every fortnight. Here she explores the concept of manufacturing kindness with Kath Koschel.
The death of a loved one, end of a brilliant career, and a serious health condition are devastating losses that attack our sense of faith. These three things happened to Kath Koschel, the last one twice, in her early twenties, yet through a determined struggle to restore it she discovered the power of kindness.
30 year old Koschel is the founder of the not for profit Kindness Factory, which literally manufactures kindness one act at a time. It began when she spontaneously purchased perfect stranger, Erin’s, petrol one day. “It only cost me $50, but the human connection we experienced we will both never forget. And then when it went viral on social media, I realised the need for a platform so that others could experience the same thing,” she explained.
With the TEDxSydney theme being HumanKind this year, I’m finding it hard not to feel ashamed at my endless whinging. I mentally write a gratitude list. “This was an important starting point in my recovery,” says Kath. I’ve experienced gratitude before, but today my heart expands tenfold. Next step, a radical act of kindness. Instead of rushing past those homeless women in King Street, I stop, introduce myself to Janine, and give her $20. We talk. Koschels right, it is meaningful to share our stories.
Interested? Record your acts of kindness at the Kindness Factory. They’re going for one million before 2020 and like Kath says, “no gift is too small.’
Photo by Ali Morshedlou
