Kindness in a Changing World

By Atty. Anfred P. Panes, LLM

As we look back at the twelve months that have shaped 2025, it is impossible not to feel the collective weight of the season. For many of us, this year has felt like a long trial—a period where the foundations of our patience, our faith, and our local resolve were tested by both the elements and the decisions of men. We have seen waters rise where they should have been held back, and we have heard the gavel of justice echo across oceans, reminding us that no matter how long the day, the evening eventually brings an accounting.

In the legal profession, we often speak of the “finality” of a judgment or the “completion” of a case. But as I reflect on this year, I realize that our lives are rarely about sudden endings. Instead, they are about the quiet lessons we gather in the wreckage of our storms and the silence of our triumphs. This year, more than most, has asked us to look beyond the titles we carry—whether as lawyers, parents, or citizens—and to examine who we really are.

Throughout 2025, our national conversation has been dominated by a search for accountability. We have looked at our infrastructures and found that the greatest failures often begin not with a lack of engineering, but with a lack of empathy. When resources meant for the many are diverted by the few, it is a reminder that the law is only as strong as the character of those who execute it.

The lesson we must carry into 2026 is that resilience is not merely the ability to survive a flood but the courage to build systems that prevent others from drowning. As I have often shared with the young minds I mentor, the law is a vocation of humanity. It is meant to be a shield for the vulnerable. When we see the slow wheels of international justice turning to address old wounds, we are reminded that truth must be protected at all costs.

It is easy to become hardened amidst the noise of political volatility and the chaos of shifting weather patterns. We see the world as a battlefield where only the loudest or the most aggressive survive. Yet, the greatest lesson of 2025 is that keeping your heart good is your superpower. A good heart allows you to see the nuance in a conflict, to find the human element in a cold legal brief, and to offer a hand when others are only offering opinions.

The latter months of 2025 taught us that attention is the new currency, misinformation is the new weapon, and conflict is its primary result. “Information warfare” felt less like a concept and more like a daily reality in our group chats and newsfeeds. We have seen how easily the peace of a community can be shattered by a single unverified rumor or a targeted campaign of rage.

This is why, as we prepare for 2026, we must learn to protect our peace like it is gold. Our peace of mind is a finite resource. It is the fuel for our creativity, our work, and our relationships. We owe it to ourselves to set boundaries. Protecting your peace means choosing your battles wisely and recognizing that not every provocation deserves your energy.

There is a prevailing myth that to be effective in this world, one must be “hard.” We are told that to be a successful professional or a strong leader, we must be cold, calculating, and detached. But look at the moments that truly defined us this year. They were the moments of soft, raw humanity. They were the scenes of neighbors helping each other through rising waters, and the quiet dignity of those who stood their ground for the sake of the truth.

My prayer for us all is that we learn to be kind, be soft, and be human. To be human in a world that often treats us like data points or political chess pieces is a radical act of defiance. It means acknowledging our limitations, admitting when we are tired, and allowing ourselves to feel the weight of our shared experience. May 2026 bring us the balance we all seek.

As we look toward 2026, let us also be intentional about the company we keep. Personally, this has been a year of great sifting. I realized that some connections no longer serve my growth. I hope everyone strives for better love, better friends, and better energy as I have done this year. The energy we surround ourselves with dictates the quality of our lives. After all, the success of a team, a family, or even a law firm like mine, depends on the mutual support of its members. We need people who will chide us when we falter but who will also dine and drink with us after a long day, win or lose.

Finally, let us remember that kindness will always be about us, never about them. We often withhold kindness because we feel the other person doesn’t deserve it. But kindness is not a reward for someone else’s good behavior. It is a reflection of your own character. It is a covenant you make with yourself about how you will move through the world. I hope we reinforce our personal integrity and choose kindness especially when it is difficult. In a year where so much felt out of our control, our capacity to choose kindness remains entirely ours.

As the 2025 calendar winds down, let us be thankful for the “meteoric” moments of joy and the quiet lessons of the trials. May the coming year, 2026, be kinder to us all. May it bring the better love we seek and the better energy we need to rebuild what has been broken. Let us move forward with the unwavering belief that together, with good hearts and protected peace, anything is possible.