Is the Universe Friendly?

4 hours ago

6 min read

The 2% Kindness Solution:

Small Acts. Big Ripples. A Kinder School.

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is one often attributed to Albert Einstein: “Is the Universe Friendly?”

How we answer that question says a great deal about how we see the world—and perhaps even how we experience our place in it.

Recently, I asked the students in our Canines Teach Compassion high school therapy dog program a slightly different question:

“Is YOUR world friendly?”

I invited them to imagine a sliding scale, from very friendly to very unfriendly, and identify where their world felt to them at that moment.

As you might imagine, we received a wide range of answers. And every answer was valid, because each represented a snapshot of that student's mental and emotional map—how the world was showing up for them.

Some students saw the world as welcoming and full of possibilities. Others experienced it as unpredictable, disappointing, or even hostile. Their responses reflected more than optimism or pessimism. They offered a glimpse into how students were experiencing their lives, their relationships, and their sense of belonging.

But here's the important question: Is our experience of the world something that simply happens to us, or can we participate in changing it?

What If You Could Make Your World a Little Friendlier?

I asked the students another question: “What is one small thing you could do that might make someone's world a better place?” Their answers were thoughtful, heartfelt, and wonderfully practical. They suggested smiling or waving at students they didn't know. Including someone who was often left out. Asking someone about their life—and really listening to the answer. Offering help without being asked. Listening without judgment.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing expensive. Nothing requiring special talent or resources. Just simple, everyday acts of kindness.

And that opened the door to a remarkable story.

Beautiful Jim Key: The Horse Who Taught the World About Kindness

I told the students about Beautiful Jim Key, an extraordinary horse who became famous more than a century ago. His trainer, Dr. William "Doc" Key, was a formerly enslaved man who believed that animals could learn through patience, encouragement, and kindness rather than fear or force. At a time when horses were commonly treated as beasts of burden and often subjected to harsh training methods, Doc Key demonstrated something revolutionary.

He taught Beautiful Jim Key to recognize letters, spell words, and perform arithmetic demonstrations—all through methods he described as kindness and positive encouragement. Beautiful Jim Key became a sensation, traveling across the country and astonishing audiences with his remarkable abilities. But perhaps his greatest achievement wasn't what he learned.

It was what he taught people about kindness.

Doc Key and Beautiful Jim Key inspired a nationwide humane education movement. Millions of children were reportedly encouraged to take a kindness pledge, promising to treat animals and one another with compassion.

More than a century later, that message is just as relevant. You can read more about their remarkable story here: Beautiful Jim Key: An Educated Horse.

Keeping the Kindness Pledge Alive

I asked our students if they would like to help keep that legacy alive. Those who wanted to participate received a special Kindness Pledge card, featuring pictures of our therapy animals on one side and these words on the other:

The Kindness Pledge

I promise to choose kindness.

I will respect the needs and feelings of others,

Including furry, feathered, and all other friends.

I will share kind words, do good deeds, and help those in need.

Because Kindness Will Change the World.

Students who chose to take the pledge signed their cards. But I wanted to take this experience one step further. Because making a promise is one thing. Discovering what happens when we put that promise into action is something else entirely.

Introducing the 2% Kindness Solution

I introduced the students to a simple idea I called The 2% Kindness Solution. Its premise is that we don't have to change everything to begin changing our lives. Sometimes, a very small change in what we think, feel, or do can begin a meaningful transformation. Why 2%? Because 2% feels possible.

We don't have to become perfectly kind, endlessly patient, or compassionate in every situation. We simply have to become a little more aware, a little more willing, and a little more intentional.

Small changes are less intimidating than dramatic ones. They give us opportunities to succeed, build confidence, and discover that we have more influence over our world than we might have imagined. And small acts, repeated over time, can create ripples far beyond the original gesture.

For example, a student who normally walks past someone sitting alone might stop to say hello. A student who is quick to judge might pause long enough to ask a question. Someone who feels invisible might discover they have the power to make someone else feel seen.

What if each of us could make the world just 2% kinder? And what if hundreds of students began doing that?

Could we change not only how students feel about themselves, but also how they feel about one another—and eventually, the culture of an entire school? We decided to find out.

Becoming Kindness Scientists

Rather than simply telling students to be kind, I invited them to become Kindness Scientists. Their assignment was to conduct a real-world experiment. Each student could choose one or more small acts of kindness toward another living being—human or animal. They could select from the wonderful ideas they had already suggested or create their own. They could decide how many acts of kindness they wanted to attempt each week. But there was one important part of the experiment:

Pay attention to what happens.

I invited them to notice three things:

The Receiver: What did you observe about the person or animal receiving your kindness? Did anything seem to change?
The Giver: How did you feel before and after your act of kindness? Did your mood, energy, or sense of connection change?
The Ripple: Did your kindness inspire another act of kindness? Did it change the way you interacted with someone afterward?

Sometimes the response might be a smile, a thank-you, or a visible sense of relief. Sometimes there might be no obvious response at all. And sometimes kindness toward an animal might mean recognizing that the animal needs space, quiet, or the freedom to choose whether to interact. The point wasn't to receive gratitude or praise.

The point was to become more conscious of the power of our own choices. We would share our observations and explore whether these small acts made any difference in how students experienced their day, their relationships, and their school.

The Surprise: Students Wanted to Do More!

I expected most students would commit to one act of kindness a week. But I was delighted to discover that many wanted to do five or six! Their enthusiasm was contagious. They weren't being asked to raise money, complete extra homework, or take on a complicated project. They were simply being invited to notice opportunities to make someone else's life a little better. And they were eager to begin.

Of course, we needed a way to celebrate their efforts. So we created a wonderfully simple reward system. For each act of kindness students reported completing, they would receive...a sticker!

Yes, a sticker. They could choose which one. Many colors and shapes.

The students also created colorful Circles of Connection, where we would display their stickers as a growing visual reminder of the kindness spreading through their school. Each sticker represents a choice. Each choice represents a moment when someone decided to make the world a little friendlier.

As those circles fill, we hope they become more than a collection of colorful stickers. They will become a visible expression of what happens when kindness becomes contagious.

Can Kindness Change a School Culture?

That's the question we're now exploring. What happens when students begin looking for opportunities to be kind rather than waiting for someone else to make the first move? What happens when they discover that doing something good for another being may also make them feel better about themselves?

What happens when kindness becomes something students practice, notice, discuss, and celebrate? And perhaps most importantly: Could intentionally creating a friendlier world change the way students answer that original question: “Is MY world friendly?”

Imagine asking that question again after several weeks of practicing the 2% Kindness Solution. Would students place themselves somewhere different on that sliding scale? Would they feel more connected? More hopeful? More confident in their ability to make a difference? We don't know yet.

That's why it's an experiment.

Small Acts. Big Ripples. A Kinder World.

We have just begun this journey with our high school students, and I can't wait to discover what unfolds. My hope is that they will learn something far more valuable than simply being nice. I hope they will discover that they are not powerless observers of the world around them. They are participants. Contributors. Creators.

They have the ability to influence the emotional climate of a classroom, a friendship, a family, and perhaps even an entire school. And they don't have to wait until they're older, wiser, wealthier, or more powerful to begin. They can start today. With one smile. One kind word. One helping hand. One gentle moment with an animal.

Because maybe we don't have to wait for the Universe to become friendlier. Maybe we can help make it that way.

Stay tuned as we share the stories of what happens when young people discover the power to become creators of a kinder world.

Special Note of Gratitude:

Canines Teach Compassion was made possible with the generous support of