Finding kind seems easy enough as our pay it forward hope for you this weekend (and beyond), right? Find kind. Go. Seek. Do. But, for two girls and their mothers, Finding Kind, has become a life's mission. These four inspiring individuals are touring the United States with the hope of establishing a national school program to support girls abilities to always find and embrace kind in one another. Already the winner of several film festival awards, the movie trailer alone reveals a seminal need for a support structure that Finding Kind is designing.
When every girl in a crowded auditorium raises her hand to the question, "Raise your hand if you've ever been negatively affected by something another girl has said or done to you" it's time to realize there's something wrong. We need more Finding Kind. And, every single one of us can work on finding and spreading kind.
During their interviews with people in the film, here are four poignant quotes you'll hear in the trailer below that gave us chills in the most heartbreaking way:
NOTE: The only thing we grapple with is at the very end of the trailer when a speaker mentions that we "may not all be smart or beautiful or talented" and we have to disagree with that statement. In this world, we have yet to meet any individual who is not smart, beautiful, and talented in her and his own perfect ways. And though we haven't met everyone on earth, we have no doubt that this is the case. Everyone is beautiful. Truly. Beautiful.
UGH! What are we doing wrong? What can we do to make it better? We love Finding Kindness' commitment to designing a support system for girls - especially in schools where a majority of bullying exists. There is so much beautiful in the world. Let's not remove it. Let's make more of it. Pay it forward by finding kind. Find it in your home. Find it in your neighborhood. Find it in people who others have silenced or forgotten or bullied. Find it in schools. And if you're having trouble finding it, uncover it; someone has hidden kindness by stripping girls and women of their belief in themselves. Tear away that cloak of invisibility and reveal for someone all the beauty and strength and talent they have to offer the world. Find kindness, always.
Join Finding Kind in their BEAUTIFUL journey:
FINDING KIND
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
When every girl in a crowded auditorium raises her hand to the question, "Raise your hand if you've ever been negatively affected by something another girl has said or done to you" it's time to realize there's something wrong. We need more Finding Kind. And, every single one of us can work on finding and spreading kind.
During their interviews with people in the film, here are four poignant quotes you'll hear in the trailer below that gave us chills in the most heartbreaking way:
- "I was really scared to walk from one class to another..."
- "I never really told anyone how much it hurt..."
- "I think I've been one of the very best friends that I could be to anybody and I would love to have a friend like that to me ...."
- "She said, 'I wish I was dead, Mom.' You know. She was nine."
NOTE: The only thing we grapple with is at the very end of the trailer when a speaker mentions that we "may not all be smart or beautiful or talented" and we have to disagree with that statement. In this world, we have yet to meet any individual who is not smart, beautiful, and talented in her and his own perfect ways. And though we haven't met everyone on earth, we have no doubt that this is the case. Everyone is beautiful. Truly. Beautiful.
UGH! What are we doing wrong? What can we do to make it better? We love Finding Kindness' commitment to designing a support system for girls - especially in schools where a majority of bullying exists. There is so much beautiful in the world. Let's not remove it. Let's make more of it. Pay it forward by finding kind. Find it in your home. Find it in your neighborhood. Find it in people who others have silenced or forgotten or bullied. Find it in schools. And if you're having trouble finding it, uncover it; someone has hidden kindness by stripping girls and women of their belief in themselves. Tear away that cloak of invisibility and reveal for someone all the beauty and strength and talent they have to offer the world. Find kindness, always.
Join Finding Kind in their BEAUTIFUL journey:
FINDING KIND
As soon as that woman started saying that sentence I was like what! You're right everyone is beautiful, smart and talented :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an important message and really appreciate your point that indeed we are all beautiful, smart and talented. I see many of those hurting girls and this site is one I will share with them. Thank you for spreading such beautiful important messages.
ReplyDeleteRecently I've kind of been struggling with the ugliness and hatefulness in some people. I'm always an optimist and someone who seeks out the good in people but sometimes when you're just having *one of those days* it's encouraging to have someone to help you *see beautiful* :)
ReplyDeleteIt restores your faith in human kind when you see such amazing, selfless people spreading such positivity and joy. I totally agree with you... everyone is beautiful, smart and talented in their own way.
ReplyDeleteThis video actually made me quite emotional. It just makes me so sad to see young girls in pain because they've been hurt by what another girl has said to (or about) them. Finding Kind and Seeing Beautiful are so important to our world! I'm glad there are movements like these out there. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. That is exactly how we felt! Thanks for giving credence to the important work of Finding Kind, and for always helping others see beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOh, Gaby, this made me smile. It is wonderful to see how the world really includes such beauty! Thanks so much! Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's something that I struggle with often. It just confuses me and then makes me angry. There's a lot of passion behind See Beautiful, but how wonderful would it be if we didn't need it because it's just the way we all chose to live our lives? Thanks so much for your lovely, thoughtful, beautiful comment. Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Becky. I appreciate that a lot of what you do is sharing this important - not the "See Beautiful" message, but the more worldly "see beautiful" message. I think both intersect, but your work invites that and empowers young girls. We are so honored that you share anything related to our movement! Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna! I do think it's so important for us all to remember. No one gets to judge anyone else's beauty, intelligence or talent. It's there for all of us to own and share. Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing. a wonderful project. Still in the second half of my life, I distrust confident women because they represent to me the girls who laughed and were cruel when I was unsure of myself as a teenager. I have to work to be kind and see beauty in those who remind me of the ones who caused my pain..
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately and Sadly.... Bullying and unkindness's between girls has been going on for a long time. IF girls could only see their own attributes,..... jealously, needs of acceptance by others, and envy could become extinct. These are three of the biggest stumbling blocks. Your blog and daily continuing messages are big stepping stones to aiding girls (and we older gals) to look inward and find that their own worth is so much more appealing and desirable than ridiculing and hurting others. These two young lady's goals are wonderful, as are yours. Thank you for your blog and insights.
ReplyDeleteAs the father of two girls this is something that I don't want my girls to have to go through. Thank you for putting this post up!
ReplyDeleteI saw your tag on Sugar the Golden's blog and found you here. I think what you are doing is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing campaign. It's time that cruelness between women stopped, and this seems like a wonderful way to do it. As always, thank you for sharing this positive and encouraging organization.
ReplyDeleteIncredible thank you for sharing this is so so awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your honest and important reflection. What Finding Kindness is doing is so wonderful, and as you state her, needed. I completely agree that it takes something important in each of us to see beautiful in the people who made us doubt that beauty in ourselves. It is NOT easy. Truly, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. It is heartbreaking that this stripping of confidence from one girl to another has been happening for too long. Thank you so much for your reflections on See Beautiful and how it might be a "stepping stone" for empowering others. Thank you! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, Ross! I appreciate that this is a movement that's happening to create a wonderful, empowering environment for your daughters in which they can find kindness in so many others too. However, with you as their dad, I"m thinking they get so many opportunities to find kindness in and around them. You spread this message wonderfully too!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks so much for popping by and visiting! We love Sugar and all the opportunities she shares to See Beautiful. We'd love to visit your blog too. Can you reply with your url. We're a sucker for dog blogs - you all are always offering wonderful information.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Katie! What they're doing on Finding Kindness is really rock star awesome. There's such a part of me that wishes it didn't need to exist because we all focused on kind naturally, but if we can't here's a wonderful movement to help launch us in the right direction. Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Gina! I can absolutely see Finding Kindness being right up your alley. The kindness and beauty you share on Contemplating Beauty seems a perfect fit! Happy seeing beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBrought tears watching the video and listening to the message. What a great program ... Lots of Golden Thanks for sharing. Lots of Golden LOVE, Sugar's mom
ReplyDelete