Day of Kindness Planned for Dalai Lama Visit

Philadelphia is known for many things, but it has a bit of a reputation when it comes to the kindness of its citizens. In a nutshell, Philly residents aren’t known to be the nicest of folks. Our sports fans are brash and loud, and our population doesn’t suffer fools lightly. For at least one day, however, Philadelphia is about to turn that frown upside down.

J. Nathan Bazzel is one of the executive organizers of A Day of Kindness. Photo: Philly.com

Organizers are putting together a first-ever Day of Kindness, set to take place on October 27th. It will coordinate with the Dalai Lama’s visit to the United States to receive the Liberty Medal. He will be in Philadelphia on October 26th and 27th to be honored for his compassion and work towards worldwide freedom. The spiritual leader of Tibet has stated that his religion is kindness, prompting organizers to put together a day where every Philadelphian is a little nicer to his or her fellow wo/man. The organizers also drew inspiration from His Holiness Pope Francis, who will visit the city in September.

Plans for the Day of Kindness are still being worked on, but it has been proposed that the day should begin with bell-ringing, to encourage reflection. People can show support by tweeting out kind messages. It has also been proposed that school children could write essays on the topic of kindness.

The Day of Kindness developed among local Buddhists who wondered how to mark the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s visit in a way that would be meaningful to the leader. Knowing that the Dalai Lama believes a man is measured by his actions, they set about to make sure the day would be a special one.