In a stirring letter to his first wife, the “king of the beats” Jack Kerouac mused beautifully on the power of kindness. Showcasing his developing Buddhist mind frame and ethics, he encouraged practicing the behavior daily. “That’s the story. That’s the message,” he continued, underlining the importance of extending kindness to others before abruptly deciding that “nobody understands it, nobody listens.” Kerouac then proclaimed he would practice kindness anyway, even if those around him didn’t reciprocate, as it’s the right thing to do.