Over the years, we’ve written often about the great Anne Herbert, the extraordinary writer that long-ago coined the phrase “Practice Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty“, and the curious little book of that name that was published in the ’90’s. Long out-of-print, its charm and power continued to resonate, inspiring an updated edition, now with full-color drawings by its original illustrator, Mayumi Oda, and a moving Forward by Desmond Tutu that is, in itself, rich with wisdom. He writes:

Ubuntu is the philosophy and belief that our humanity is inextricably bound up in one another, and any tear in the fabric of connection must be repaired for us all to be made whole…

…Ubuntu tells us that we can create a more peaceful world by striving for goodness in each moment, where we are. Thus we are invited to become life artists, those who create lives of wholeness and beauty at every instant. Out of the cacophony of random suffering and chaos that can  mark human life, the life artist sees or creates a symphony of meaning and order. A life of wholeness does not depend on what we experience, but on how we experience our lives.

…We can indeed transform the world, and we are each called to take part in this sacred work.

… Wherever we are, we can create beauty. Moment by moment, we can create joy. Instant by instant, we can offer kindness.

Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty offers this simple powerful message of wisdom and hope. A gift for anyone.

Random Kindness Cover

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One thought on “Desmond Tutu on “Random Kindness” and Becoming “Life Artists”

  1. oh this is so perfect.. you guys have saved my life..now when anyone asks what i do a can say with a real mission statement.. i am a life artist.. perfect

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