Olbia. An evening of sun, wind, sea, and the scent of helichrysum in a city which, from today, will also have Kindness among its characteristics. Olbia welcomed, embraced and signed the extraordinary project of Kindness Movement. Since 13 June the ancient land of Terranoa has also been a Gentile city, the 4th Municipality on the island and the 59th Gentile Municipality in Italy. The guests arrived early and some of them experienced firsthand the availability and kindness of the promoters of the movement itself, who stopped to sign copies of the books and exchange a few words with the citizens. The ceremony took place in the setting of Crispi Squarewith a large audience of citizens applauding and testifying to the choice that the municipal administration has carried out since the end of 2023, with Councilor Simonetta Lai acting as the representative of the project, of which she was the first to be firmly convinced .
During the greetings, Dr. Lai recalls the work carried out daily: “every day we strive to make our city more welcoming and inclusive.”
Precisely starting from the concepts of welcome, inclusiveness and understanding kindness is expressed in the three forms of words, art and a caress explains Felicia Cigorescu, creative director and coordinator of the International Kindness Movement.
The event kicked off with a dance presented by a couple of Cirque du Soleil artists who, against the backdrop of Tavolara, celebrate kindness and empathy in human beings through songs that have made the history of Italian music. Caterina Sotgia, director of Asco and ambassador of the Movement in Sardinia, also intervenes and recalls: “kindness begets kindness” and after the presentation of the figure of Daniel Lumera, founder of the Movement, here is the moment of the reading of the 9 points of the Manifesto of Kindness by Councilor Simonetta Lai, who immediately proceeds to sign the Manifesto itself, thus placing a tangible seal on this strongly shared choice. Daniel Lumera talks with Cigorescu telling the origin of the Movement, four years of intense work that brought the social value of the idea within the walls of hospitals, prisons, associations and schools, the movement has become international , “kindness is contagious– states Lumera smiling, – between data and numbers the founder of the Movement talks about the Harvard study which can affirm that “kind people are those best adapted to survival”.
When asked whether there are universal kind words, an answer awaits us: the intentionality of the Word counts, kindness is a very profound feeling, which takes us beyond borders. Talking about kindness leads us to talk about sustainability and therefore Dr. Lumera analyzes the 4 groups present in the ecosystem with very specific functions, the first three: bees, trees and cetaceans have a function in sustainability and in maintaining systems, as Lumera points out, the human mind is not as sustainable.
We must work first of all on words and thoughts and here comes Prof. Massimo Recalcati, an internationally renowned psychoanalyst and university professor who presents a passionate monologue listened attentively by all those present.
Olbia thus embraces the “biology of values” for the benefit of its citizens and the environment, with the hope that this project will be embraced and shared by the entire population, starting even from the simplest gesture, “because Encadenian kindness” recalls Lumera.
