Richard Dawkins once wrote, "Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish." Francis Collins, former Director of the Human Genome Project, believed that our selfless moral feelings conflict with the evolutionary urge to preserve our DNA, and could only have come to pass as a result of divine intervention. They were both wrong. In The Pursuit of Kindness, Éamonn Toland provides compelling evidence from biology, psychology, history and archaeology that, for 95 percent of the time that humans have walked the earth, survival of the fittest for our species has meant survival of the kindest. In fascinating, clearly written and entertaining prose, he argues that collaboration is more deeply engrained than competition, and that it is only by working together that human beings can prosper. In an increasingly polarised world, The Pursuit of Kindness offers an optimistic view of human development; it is essential reading for all those interested in the survival of the human species.

“A thoughtful and fresh perspective on life’s compassionate journey to success. Irrational Kindness is powerful, provocative, and palatable.” —Linda Cash, former Vice President, Quality and New Model Launch Program at Ford Motor Company This work from a fast food entrepreneur and rare triple-franchisee Kevin Williams was written as part-employee handbook, part-operating manual for life. Irrational Kindness flips traditional wisdom on its head and gives a different lens through which to look at life. Often the idea of being irrational is smeared with negative connotations. It can sound illogical, senseless, unjustifiable, or groundless. It may even represent ludicrous and mad behavior! But Kevin Williams argues that being irrational can be just the opposite. And it is the most positive, inspiring, and empowering way to be. Being irrational has to do with thinking outside the box—way outside. It has to do with viewing life as a journey and still being willing to reverse the route, shake things up, or flip the map upside down. Why? Not just to be different, but to make a difference. Irrational Kindness can serve as a harmonious reminder that one’s hopes and dreams do not have to be derailed—not by their fears, their pasts, or by people who make them feel like they have to know everything to be successful, or even just to get started. Throughout its pages, Kevin provides the inspiration everyone needs to favor understanding over being understood and prioritize kindness—toward themselves as well as others—over everything. “This book is a needed and timely reminder to pause and give Kindness a platform to change the world around you.” —Princess Moon, Podcast Artist & Encourager of People

Kindness is essential in helping heal a world that is more divisive, lonely, and anxious than ever. Kraft believes it is time to reinvent how we talk about it, exercise, and bring kindness into our daily lives. Here he shares anecdotes and actions that can help bring change to our lives, our relationships, and the world.

*** A Year of Kindness is a guided journal *** Spend a year doing something kind every day and something magical happens -- you become happier, kinder, more grateful, and your life is imbued with meaning. Dr. Pamela Paresky created A Year of Kindness as a simple guide to light the way. After a year of doing something kind each day and keeping a journal to focus your attention on kindness and gratitude, you will never be the same. Nor will the recipients of your acts of kindness. Dr. Paresky provides empirical evidence that journaling about kindness and gratitude leads to being happier and more fulfilled. With quotes from eminent thinkers and people who lead meaningful lives to remind us why we should maintain a focus on kindness and gratitude, any 365 days are transformed into A Year of Kindness. "Dr. Paresky has astutely determined that if we take a year to focus on something outside ourselves and resolve to do something kind each day, we will never go back. Her journal is ideal for both adults and young people in setting us all on a path of conscious concern for others, and creating a lifelong habit of doing good." - Elayne Bennett, Adolescent Development Expert and Founder of Best Friends Foundation "What a marvelous gift to have a program like this to help us stay focused on the simple and indispensable need of all human societies: kindness." - Mickey Edwards, The Aspen Institute

In a global climate of increasing complexity and uncertainty, there have been calls for a more responsible form of leadership in business and society. The relationship between kindness and leadership is therefore a topic of fundamental importance for our well-being as individuals, for the success of our organisations, and for the future of our global community. Kindness in Leadership is one of the first books to explore both the concept and practice of kindness in leadership and consider them in different societal and organisational settings. Its uniqueness lies in combining an innovative mix of personal views from leaders with explorations of organisational philosophies and practices. It opens with a definition of kindness and its contours and underpinnings. It then explores the importance of kindness within different organisations, parts of the world, economic strata, age groups and genders, drawing on research on organisational compassion and neuroscience. In order to support learning, each chapter is supported by a series of questions for consideration and discussion. This will be a stimulating and thought-provoking read for a wide audience of practicing managers and leaders in organisations of all shapes and sizes, for academics involved in educating for leadership, and for students aspiring to develop their own kind and compassionate leadership style.

"A fine achievement."--Peter Singer, author of The Life You Can Save and The Most Good You Can Do A sweeping psychological history of human goodness -- from the foundations of evolution to the modern political and social challenges humanity is now facing. How did humans, a species of self-centered apes, come to care about others? Since Darwin, scientists have tried to answer this question using evolutionary theory. In The Kindness of Strangers, psychologist Michael E. McCullough shows why they have failed and offers a new explanation instead. From the moment nomadic humans first settled down until the aftermath of the Second World War, our species has confronted repeated crises that we could only survive by changing our behavior. As McCullough argues, these choices weren't enabled by an evolved moral sense, but with moral invention -- driven not by evolution's dictates but by reason. Today's challenges -- climate change, mass migration, nationalism -- are some of humanity's greatest yet. In revealing how past crises shaped the foundations of human concern, The Kindness of Strangers offers clues for how we can adapt our moral thinking to survive these challenges as well.

Coventry, 1941. The morning after one of the worst nights of the Blitz. Twenty-two-year-old Rose enters the remains of a bombed house to find her best friend dead. Shocked and confused, she makes a split-second decision that will reverberate for generations to come. More than fifty years later, in modern-day Brighton, Rose’s granddaughter Lara waits for the return of her eighteen-year-old son Jay. Reckless and idealistic, he has gone to Iraq to stand on a conflict line as an unarmed witness to peace. Lara holds her parents, Mollie and Rufus, partly responsible for Jay’s departure. But in her attempts to explain their thwarted passions, she finds all her assumptions about her own life are called into question. Then into this damaged family come two strangers – Oliver, a former faith healer, and Jemmy, a young woman devastated by the loss of a baby. Together they help to establish a partial peace – but at what cost?