emotional and psychological enlightenment
Schedule
Sun, 01 Feb, 2026 at 09:00 am
UTC+01:00Location
Iddo, Lagos, Nigeria | Lagos, LA
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To all those raising young children, please, teach them emotional intelligence and social awareness. It will shape their lives more than any exam ever will.
We are living in a world full of broken adults who do not know how to speak to others with grace or respect, because they were raised in homes without warmth, without patience, without love. We are now paying the price for that emotional poverty.
I was reminded of this truth by a young South African boy who follows me on social media. He comes from a poor family, but you can tell he was raised with heart. Whenever I was attacked online for writing about South Africa, this boy who is barely out of his teens, would quietly inbox me.
“Don’t worry Mr Chin’ono,” he would write, “they don’t represent how we all feel.”
“You have done a lot for your country and for Africans. why do these people insult you for talking about South Africa,” he asked.
He didn’t owe me anything, but he chose kindness. He didn’t have power or money, but he had grace and empathy. Since February, he has shared his dream of studying engineering, but he had no means. I told him to apply for scholarships and send him some links.
This morning, as I was getting up, a South African businesswoman called me, just for a light conversation about MK/Floyd politics.
In passing, I mentioned the boy’s story, how corruption had robbed children like him of a future. She asked for his results. I sent them to her as we were talking.
We talked some more, then just before we hung up, she said, “Please check what the boy’s fees are. I will pay everything for the full programme at once and his accommodation if the university provides it.
He came through you, and I want to help, not because you are famous, but because you are a good man, Hopewell.” I had tears of joy running down.
She did not know me because of my work. She only knew me because one day in traffic, a kombi blocked her lane. No one would let her in. I did.
She waved, we ended up at the traffic lights side by side. She rolled down her window and said, “Thank you,” and she handed me her busk card. I laughed it off.
Weeks later, I lost my wallet at Hyde Park at Olives restaurant. Her card was in there. The staff called her. She came, saw my name on my UK driver’s licence, Googled me, and said to them, “That’s the man who let me in when I had been blocked.”
She had her office trace me via social media. We met again. We became friends. And now, because of one simple act of kindness on the road, a young man’s future is being paid for in full.
What if I had been rude to her? What if I had hooted and blocked her out like everyone else? There would be no business card. No reconnection. No miracle.
Emotional intelligence is not just a feel good phrase.
It is life altering. I see so many young people online being rude, abusive, unable to handle difference or complexity.
That lack of emotional and social awareness will cost them more than they know. Sometimes your future doesn’t come dressed in opportunity. Sometimes it arrives in traffic, in a moment, in a gesture. And only kindness will open the door.
I am so happy that my moment of kindness has helped change the life of a young South African who showed me kindness on social media, and that my kindness to another South African has now set this young man up for life.
This beautiful story is a powerful example of prosocial behaviour and emotional intelligence creating a ripple effect through social reciprocity and moral elevation, where one simple act of kindness sparked a chain of life changing compassion. This is the reason why I won’t leave social media, it is a great tool for good if well used.
So teach your children to be kind, not because the world is kind, but because kindness is how we heal it, one small, unseen act at a time, that might one day become someone’s miracle.🤏✍️
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Where is it happening?
Iddo, Lagos, NigeriaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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