Can you remember the very first time you were kind to someone? Probably not. And that is no coincidence. We find it much easier to remember the moments when we felt happy, frightened, sad or surprised. These are the moments when we were on the receiving end of experiences and emotions, when the energy of the world was directed towards us.

But kindness is different. Its very essence lies in giving. And the more we give of ourselves, the harder it becomes to remember that we have done so. Because it is for others to remember acts of kindness and the people behind them. Someone who gives kindness freely will never simply tell you that they are a good person. Goodness is not something they consciously preserve in their memory or incorporate into their self-image.

People do not become good over time. Good people are born that way. You may not recognise them as you pass them on the street, but they appear when they are needed. They require no special invitation, no organised transport and no sandwich as an incentive. Good people instinctively know when it is time to step forward.

You will never hear a genuinely good person invoke the familiar saying, "What goes around comes around." /One good turn deserves another. That is something an observer might say, not someone actively engaged in doing good, and certainly not someone who offers kindness to the world.

There is no expectation of personal gain in kindness. Good people do not do good in the hope of receiving something in return, whether a reward, recognition or privilege. The best among us do not seek medals or honours. For them, doing good is a duty, a moral imperative or simply an instinct. Unless someone else praises or honours them, they will never seek such recognition themselves. They do not act for their own sake, but for truth, justice and love.

There are two kinds of people in life: those who ask you what you do and those who ask you how you are. Once you understand the difference in motivation behind these two questions, it becomes much easier to recognise the person standing before you, whether an acquaintance, a neighbour, a colleague, a boss or a complete stranger. The first want to assess how useful you might be to them. The second genuinely care about you as a human being.

When good people are pushed into the background, lies, injustice and hatred can easily take hold of an entire country. And that is how we became a wounded society, desperately in need of a cure.

We were suffering from a particular affliction sweeping the modern world: a deficiency of kindness. We were not getting enough of that special vitamin D. As a result, both our immunity and our humanity began to weaken.

Because without kindness, there are no embraces, no love, no laughter, no joy, no playfulness, no courage, no boldness, no friendship, no compassion and no solidarity. Nothing that we, as human beings, truly need.

Why does this happen?

Because goodness has its vulnerabilities, and they happen to be two of its greatest virtues: tolerance and faith in humanity.

When evil first emerges, it bears little resemblance to what it will eventually become. Nor does it appear particularly dangerous. That is why we tolerate it at first. It seems naive, transparent, harmless and easily corrected.

Good people are rarely inclined to believe that something seemingly insignificant could develop into something far worse. On the contrary, they regard it as human and forgivable. After all, nobody is perfect. We are only human, and we all make mistakes.

And so evil gets its moment in the sun. Or fourteen years of it.

That is why it is so important for us, as a society, to remember the time we are living through and never forget the remarkable young people who brought us back from oblivion and reminded us what it truly means to be human.

But remembering is not enough. We must tell our grandchildren's children, again and again, how, in 2025 and 2026, the spirit of kindness spilled onto the streets of our long-suffering country, how freedom marched along its roads and how good once again proved stronger than evil.

Because evil will find its way back all too easily if we fail to look after good people and protect the goodness within us.

That is why, today, we need kindness more than ever. We need it as a remedy.

To strengthen our hearts so they can beat as they should once more.

To help them overcome fear and love again, both fiercely and tenderly.

To learn how to love again.

To begin looking after one another and helping one another again.

To truly see one another again.

To be human again.