Town Hall South speaker discusses the value of kindness
UPPER ST. CLAIR – Back in 1970, Glen Campbell scored a country hit with “Try a Little Kindness,” in which he urged listeners to “just shine your light for everyone to see.”
More than a half-century later, motivational speaker and author Leon Logothetis is encouraging audiences for his lectures, books and television shows to, yes, try a little kindness in their everyday lives.
“It is in our DNA to be kind,” Logothetis explained during a Town Hall South talk at Upper St. Clair High School Tuesday morning. “It’s in our DNA to feel committed to each other.”
Wearing a T-shirt stating “Go Be Kind,” Logothetis outlined how he has become a kind of kindness guru and how greater empathy and understanding can enhance our world. Working as a broker in London in the 2000s, he had a full bank account but an empty soul. Dealing with addiction and struggling with chronic depression, Logothetis said he had an epiphany one night while sitting on his couch watching the movie “The Motorcycle Diaries” – he would chuck the world of number-crunching and embark on a round-the-world journey, relying mostly on the kindness of strangers along the way.
What did he find in his travels?
“We are all the same,” Logothetis said. “Irrespective of country, religion, how much money you have or don’t have. And if they tell you we are different, they are lying.”
He recalled how when he visited India, he witnessed “so much poverty” and yet “so much love.”
All told, Logothetis has traveled to more than 100 countries and has written about his experiences in such books as “The Mojo Diaries,” “Go Be Brave” and “The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody.” His television series, “The Kindness Diaries,” is streaming on Discovery Plus, and he hosts a podcast, “Spontaneous Moments of Conversation.”
Amid his talk about kindness, Logothetis noted that being kind doesn’t necessarily mean being a pushover. He explained, “I’m not saying that you let everyone walk all over you. … I’m not telling you that bad things won’t happen.”
Nevertheless, he said, “True wealth is not in our wallets. It’s in our hearts.”
The Town Hall South lecture series will pick up again on Tuesday, Feb. 7, with an appearance by Richard Stengel, a former editor of Time magazine and diplomat. The 2022-23 season concludes Tuesday, March 21, with a talk by author, professor and autism expert Dr. Temple Grandin.
For additional information on Town Hall South, go online to www.townhallsouth.org.