SPEAKER Spotlight
CONTINUED
P : From your point of view , how has the pandemic affected our capacity to practice the kind of empathy you mention ? L : It ’ s been wearing out our compassion . When tragedy strikes , at the beginning of that moment , everyone starts being nice to each other , right ? I remember having a chat with one of my aunts years ago — she was in the blitz in England — and I asked her what the blitz was like , expecting her to turn around and say that it was the worst time of her life . Instead , she said that it was the best time of her life . She said , “ We were all together . We were all a community . We were all one .” I never forgot that .
During my travels , I ’ ve been to so many places of deep poverty . They have something we don ’ t have , and that ’ s community . They have community because they need each other . We think we don ’ t need each other anymore . We sit behind a high wall — not all of us , of course , but generally .
What happened [ during the pandemic ] is that we all became one , but as the pandemic loosened its clutches and politics got involved , we separated again — that ’ s really a discussion for a spiritual psychotherapist . Basically , when you lose that sense of community and connection , one starts looking at
“[ Kindness is ] a competitive advantage because when you treat people with respect , and when you treat people with love and compassion and empathy , they will run further for you .”
2022 ISPA CONFERENCE ATTENDEES will no doubt hear plenty about Leon Logothetis ’ s global adventures during his Power Session , but if you want to witness them for yourself before making the trip to Las Vegas , you ’ re in luck ! In addition to his role as a celebrated speaker and author , Logothetis is also a TV host who has captured his travels and interactions with local citizens in a truly up-close-and-personal fashion .
The Kindness Diaries — now available to stream on Discovery +— follows Logothetis as he traverses the globe , open to new discoveries and experiences from Pittsburgh to Calcutta to Vietnam . In each episode , Leon documents his travels and connects with real , everyday people as he learns about their lives and , true to the show ’ s title , spreads kindness wherever he can .
In addition , Logothetis hosted Amazing Adventures of a Nobody for three seasons on National Geographic . On that
series , Leon documented his cross-country treks with an interesting twist — he lived on just five dollars ( or pounds ) per day , relying on the kindness of strangers to help him on his way .
To learn more about Leon ’ s travels far and wide , visit leonlogothetis . com / adventures .
20 PULSE • APRIL 2022