August 2, 2026: The Call of Kindness

Scott Russell Sanders

To be kind toward others is to treat them as if they were kinfolk, as if they were family, deserving respect, compassion, and care. Kindness is an antidote to cruelty. While greed and strife make headlines, kindness makes community, easing suffering, mending divisions, fostering peace. A moral life is one that acknowledges our kinship with all people, indeed with all beings, all animals and plants, rivers and mountains, Earth and Sun. We gather this morning to experience how story and song can help us enlarge the realm of kindness.

Scott Russell Sanders is the author of two dozen books, the most recent of which are Small Marvels and The Way of Imagination. His first reader is his wife, Ruth, a level-headed scientist, with whom he will celebrate a 59th wedding anniversary later this month. Scott is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at IU, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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