Pixie Dust
Kindness and caring are the magic of humanity
We struggle to explain why peope should care about others. Each day seems to bring another reason to express anger, fear — even hatred — against our neighbors or fellow citizens.
While the comments on websites, on social media and at public meetings intend to inform community issues more thoroughly, many have devolved into ugly conversations that unmask fears, reveal distrust, show strident political bias, and display a general lack of civility.
Current events fan the flames of discord. Who are we as a people, and who do we want to be? The questions address separating children from migrant parents at our nation’s southern border to an irrational defense of gun rights after homes in Loudoun County were pelted by machine-gun fire.
As most of the world, and much of the community, engaged in disputes over rights, values and public safety, we sought shelter in a happier place last week. We went to Disney World.
It takes a believer to appreciate Disney World. Each day, about 350,000 people — about the population of Loudoun County — fill the self — proclaimed “happiest place in the world.” It’s a place where everyday princesses relate to Frozen’s themes of love and family, where explorers can ride a banshee through Pandora’s exotic jungle, where six-year-old Jedi knights-in-training learn to convert anger into power, and where each day ends with an awe-inspiring fireworks celebration over the Magic Kingdom.
During a contentious time, Disney World transports families to a safe and happy place. It welcomes humanity with simple acts of kindness. Everyone is welcome, everyone is treated with dignity and respect, everyone gets along despite their differences. We marveled at the kindness of strangers from all backgrounds in the crowded parks.
Today’s cynics are apt to sneer at such a naive concept.
Kindness does not simply happen, it takes work. About 70,000 “cast members” — about the number of students who attend Loudoun County schools — are schooled in kindness at Disney World. The quality is ingrained in Disney’s culture, business and management
If you go behind the scenes (as we have on a business study-trip), you’ll find that kindness is an essential component of sophisticated transportation systems; elaborate, underground logistics and distribution facilities; elegantly designed venues that accommodate visitors from many cultures with charm, practicality and easy-to-use technologies; and an obsessive commitment to public safety, sustainability, convenience and the environment.
Before adopting its new comprehensive plan, Loudoun County officials would do well to study Disney World. The parks generate about $20 billion in annual economic activity while maintaining a pristine environment of 47 square miles for 35 million visitors per year.
What motivates families to spend their time and money — typically five days at more than $500 per day — at Disney World? It may have something to do with the idea of caring for others. As the week brought racism and divisiveness to the American border, and a new argument over guns in Loudoun County, Disney World provided a counterpoint with diversity, inclusion and acts of kindness.
We could use some of that pixie dust.
First published in the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
