EMPATHY
HOW TO BE KIND
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ From Leviticus 19:18 in the Torah. This is the first part of the Hebrew Bible, which is also known as The Old Testament and is sacred to people of the Jewish and Christian faiths.
Discover how following the ‘golden rule’ helps you be kinder to others and makes the world a better place. By John ‘The Planetwalker’ Francis Illustrations by Josy Bloggs
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or centuries, people have been thinking of new ways to show kindness. Incredibly, many religions and cultures have come up with a very similar idea. It is called the golden rule. Each version has the same core message: treat other people as kindly as you would like to be treated. The rule encourages you to feel empathy. This is when you
understand someone else’s feelings. It also helps you know how to act. For example, it tells you not to steal, because you wouldn’t like it if someone stole from you! Here are just a few examples of the many versions of this rule. On the next page, learn about some inspiring stories of kindness.
‘One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on themself to feel how it hurts.’
‘Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.’
From Treatise of the Exalted One on Response and Retribution, an important Taoist scripture by T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien
Yoruba proverb (Nigeria)
‘As you regard yourself, regard others as well.’
From the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious scriptures of Sikhism
Continued on next page
‘None of you truly believes, until he loves for his brothers what he loves for himself.’
‘Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you!’ ‘Each one should do unto others as they would have others do unto them.’
A saying of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam
From The Analects of Confucius
Manco Cápac, legendary founder of the Incan empire
‘What you would not find acceptable if it were done to you by another, do not do to them.’ Akan proverb (Ghana)
‘I will act towards others exactly as I would act towards myself.’
From the Siglovadasutta, a text that sets out the rules that Buddhists should follow 20
‘Do not do to another what you do not like to be done to yourself.’
From the Mahabharata, an important text in Hinduism 21
EMPATHY
STORIES OF KINDNESS Standing Up for Others Marcus Rashford is an English professional footballer. In 2O2O, he used his fame to stand up for something beyond sport. He campaigned for many British children to be given food vouchers in the school holidays as well as during term time. Growing up, his family didn’t have much money. This meant that he understood how, for some
There was much suffering during the Second Italian War of Independence in 1863. Swiss businessman Henry Dunant was shocked and saddened by this, so he urged world leaders to do more to help victims of war. It also gave him an idea: to train groups of people to provide help during times of war. The project became The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It provides protection and help for victims of war and violence all over the world.
people, it can be a struggle to put food on the table. Rashford wanted to stand up for these families. He said that ‘as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine.’ This started a wider movement. Now, many restaurants offer free meals to children in need, too.
Access to Education Safeena Husain was a young girl who grew up in poverty in New Delhi, India. She managed to leave behind her tough childhood to study at the London School of Economics, and grew up to be a successful adult. But she never forgot where she had come from, and eventually Safeena went back to India to start a charity that helps girls just like her. Now her organization, which is called Educate Girls, is working to help millions of girls go to school so they can also follow their dreams, just as Safeena did. 22
Helping to Heal Do Something for Nothing Every day in London, hairdresser Joshua Coombes saw many people who were experiencing homelessness. He decided to do something to help. So he offered them haircuts. By using his skills, Coombes helped people feel good about themselves. This also allowed him to build connections with people who are often isolated. He started the #dosomethingfornothing initiative, to encourage other people to get involved around the world. He was even joined by a vet who cared for homeless people’s dogs.
Animal Assistance It’s not just people who can benefit from acts of kindness and charity – animals can, too! One animal charity is The World Wildlife Fund (which is usually called the WWF). The charity was founded in 1961 to protect animals that were being threatened by human activities. In its first year, the WWF helped to save animals such as the bald eagle in North America. They also established a small nature reserve in Colombia, South America. Now the WWF is one of the world’s most well-known animal charities. One
project is providing funding to study and save endangered tigers in Asia. In 2O16, the WWF announced that the number of wild tigers had increased for the first time in more than 1OO years!
Paying a compliment
How do you feel when you get a compliment? It feels good, right? Telling someone what you like or appreciate about them is a great way to make others feel good, too. You could even write them a note or a letter to tell them how great they are. 23
ARTICLE ACTIVITY – FOR TEACHERS
How to be kind LO: To understand how rules can help us be kind LO: To understand how empathy can help us be kind LO: To understand how sharing stories of kindness can encourage us to be kind Overview
Children are invited to create a golden rule for kindness exploring how existing rules help us, and identify and share a story of kindness that will encourage others to be kind. This activity can support learning in: Literacy PSHE Writing
Activities include:
Creating a golden rule for kindness Sharing an example story of kindness
You will need:
Pens Drawing materials The worksheets/templates
Once your class have completed their golden rules and stories of kindness, they could be shared in class or even in assembly. Children could vote for which golden rules they would like to use in school. Stories could also be used to create a display. Don’t forget to share their work on social media and tag Britannica Magazine. We’d love to see it!
Facebook: @britannicamagazine Instagram: @britannicamagazine Twitter: @britannicamag #BritannicaMag The ultimate magazine for curious young minds!
How to be kind Kindness is an essential ingredient to making the world a better place. In Britannica Magazine’s July Issue (on pages 2O and 21), you will have read that many religions and cultures have what can be called a ‘golden rule’ which encourages people to think of others and be kind. This helps us feel empathy, which is when you think about others and their feelings, and use this to guide your actions to be more kind.
AA Let’s explore some of these ideas
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
‘As you regard yourself, regard others as well.’
A ‘What you would not find acceptable if it were done to you by another, do not do to them.’
In pairs or on your own, think about what these golden rules mean. Think about: Who might your ‘neighbour’ be? What does ‘regard’ mean in the sentence above? What behaviour do you think is acceptable? Can you explain in a few sentences what you think these three ‘rules’ are saying to us:
Share your ideas and discuss how ‘golden rules’ like the ones above can help us. Why is it useful to have ‘golden rules’? The ultimate magazine for curious young minds!
Writing challenge
After learning about the ‘golden rules’ created by famous philosophers and writers from history, now it’s your turn! Write a ‘golden rule’ that can be shared in the classroom and maybe even at home, to help encourage others to be kind. Remember, your golden rule should only be one sentence long! You can illustrate your ideas too.
The ultimate magazine for curious young minds!
Stories of kindness
There are stories of kindness everywhere just like the ones featured in Britannica Magazine’s July Issue on pages 22 and 23. Why is it important to share these stories? Discuss in your groups. What stories of kindness can you discover? Perhaps something good happened at school and someone was kind to you, or maybe you saw someone being kind to a person who needed help. Or maybe you heard something on the news, like the story of Marcus Rashford helping children get the food they need. Or perhaps you were kind at home or in your community? No matter how big or small the act of kindness is, it is always worth sharing! Share your story of kindness below using words and pictures. Remember, every story of kindness we share can help to show everyone that we can ALL be kind.
The ultimate magazine for curious young minds!
The ultimate magazine for curious young minds!