Today is the anniversary of my father – the world’s Teamaker – Merrill J. Fernando’s birth on 6th May 1930. Since his passing two years ago we know it as Kindness Day. We celebrate in the way my father always celebrated special occasions. 2,050 less fortunate families around the nation receive packs of dry rations sufficient to feed a typical family for two weeks, with orphan children, elders and others at Mother Theresa homes in Moratuwa and Mattakkuliya, and the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre Mavadivembu presented lunch, entertainment and a day of kindness by Dilmah and MJF Foundation teams.
For Merrill J. Fernando, kindness was a very natural part of life and business. Unable to afford university, he was fortunate in lacking knowledge of economic theory and so he was guided by his faith in God, and the values his mother instilled in him. He believed the reason you make money is to give it away to people less fortunate than you are. That is the strength and resilience of our family business, making life and work more fulfilling and giving real purpose to our brand. It means that kindness is not limited to this special day, but an everyday consideration in every interaction with people and nature.
There are 110 armed conflicts around the world today, people undergoing unspeakable pain and hardship. At the same time we confront the twin scourges of inequality and a climate crisis that could intensify that pain for unborn, future generations. We need kindness more than ever. My family, our colleagues and I reaffirm today – the 2nd Kindness Day – our commitment to the values my father represented through his life of devotion to tea, and his belief in the importance of kindness to people and nature.
My father’s philosophy on life is beautifully expressed in words that were prominent on his desk at work, by Stephen Grellet, “I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing that I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now.”
