On her swearing in on 1 July, the 28th Governor General of Australia Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn stated that a culture of kindness, care, and respect was chief among her aspirations for our country. For an incredibly accomplished person, - solicitor, media spokesperson, advocate of gender equality, Indigenous reconciliation, climate change action, and environmental sustainability, and esteemed board member in private and non-profit sectors – our Governor General has called for a focus on the fundamentals.
From a Christian point of view, we know that we have been commanded to love one another in the way that God loves us. But it is affirming to know that the values stemming from this commandment – kindness, care, and respect – are so deeply regarded as absolutes by the person who represents our Head of State.
At the most intrinsic level, kindness, care, and respect in a win-win for all, as it is now well-established in the sciences that our physical and emotional wellbeing – individually and collectively, as a culture - will improve when we practice these values. When we each practice prosocial behaviour, kindness can enhance our productivity, creativity, and engagement. Social solidarity can make care and kindness contagious or, at the very least, reciprocal, and the benefits of paying it forward are not only self-sustaining but builds momentum in others. Practising care, kindness, and respect is a continuum in which each of us can thrive.
Adapted from the Principal's newsletter column, July 2024.