Emanuel Synagogue presents Hugh Mackay in conversation with Rabbi Ninio, discussing The Kindness Revolution and how we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism.

Hugh challenges us to ask what kind of society we want to become. Do crises and catastrophes bring us closer together? Have the events of 2020 and 2021 changed us?

Through the hardships of the past 2 years, we’ve seen inspiring displays of kindness and consideration, our personal sacrifices for the common good and our heightened appreciation of the value of local neighbourhoods and communities. Hugh asks us to consider: 'Could we become renowned as a loving country, rather than simply a "lucky" one?'

Hugh Mackay is a social psychologist, and the author of twenty-two books, including eight novels. His non-fiction writing covers social analysis, psychology, communication and ethics. He has had a sixty-year career in social research, and was also a weekly newspaper columnist for twenty-five years. He is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and of the Royal Society of New South Wales, and has been awarded honorary doctorates by five Australian universities. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015, and is currently an honorary professor in the Research School of Psychology at the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra.