Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode 1555: “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye
Air Date: July 9, 2026
Host: Maggie Smith
Produced by: American Public Media, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Slowdown, host Maggie Smith explores the nuanced distinction between “niceness” and “kindness,” using Naomi Shihab Nye’s celebrated poem “Kindness” as the centerpiece for reflection. Drawing from her Midwestern upbringing, Smith examines regional ideas of politeness, how surface-level etiquette sometimes falls short of real compassion, and offers poetic insight into the transformative nature of true kindness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Regional “Niceness” vs. Genuine Kindness

[00:32–02:18]

Maggie Smith opens by reflecting on “Midwest nice” and “Minnesota nice,” commonly held reputations for courteous and friendly behavior in the Midwestern United States.
She notes, “As someone born and raised in the Midwest, I have to admit something—I’ve never been quite sure what this means.”
Smith explains that “Midwest nice” often refers not to warmth but to a sort of “passive-aggressive” politeness, “being polite on the surface in public while privately harboring unkind thoughts.”
She identifies this not just as a regional trait, but as a human one: “Isn’t there some of that everywhere? Humans can be prickly or judgmental or envious. They can also deeply desire approval. Humans are, well, human.”
Smith then pivots to consider “the difference between niceness and kindness.” She defines niceness as avoiding conflict, working to please others, and says, “Niceness can be a step toward kindness, which is investing more fully in the happiness and well-being of others.”

2. Altruistic Kindness and Everyday Acts

[02:19–03:10]

Smith urges listeners: “Wherever you live, you don’t have to be nice, but please be kind. We need more genuine, altruistic kindness in this world.”
She shares practical examples:
- “Helping others without being performative about it and without needing recognition.”
- “Letting people know you’re thinking of them, reaching out when you know someone is struggling, and practicing simple acts of kindness.”
- She lists small gestures: “Holding a door open, letting someone go ahead of you in line, offering a sincere compliment.”
Smith introduces the poem of the day as an embodiment of kindness: “You can take in the wisdom of today's poem and pass it along.”

Featured Poem: “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye

[03:11–05:50]

Smith reads Nye’s poem in full, capturing the idea that real kindness is born not of comfort but of loss and sorrow.
Memorable lines:
- “Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things.”
- “What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness.”
- “Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.”
- “Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore… only kindness that goes with you everywhere, like a shadow or a friend.”
The reading carries a contemplative, compassionate tone, inviting listeners to reflect on their own experiences of loss and connection.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Niceness vs. Kindness:

“Niceness can be a step toward kindness, which is investing more fully in the happiness and well-being of others.”
— Maggie Smith [02:00]
Call to Action:

“Wherever you live, you don’t have to be nice, but please be kind. We need more genuine, altruistic kindness in this world.”
— Maggie Smith [02:19]
From the Poem:

“Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things… Feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth.”
— Naomi Shihab Nye, read by Maggie Smith [03:20]
Compassion through Sorrow:

“Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.”
— Naomi Shihab Nye, read by Maggie Smith [04:28]
Final Reflection from the Poem:

“Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore… only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day… only kindness that goes with you everywhere, like a shadow or a friend.”
— Naomi Shihab Nye, read by Maggie Smith [05:12]

Important Segment Timestamps

[00:32–02:18] – Maggie Smith explores the meaning of “Midwest nice” and its relation to kindness.
[02:19–03:10] – Reflection on fostering genuine kindness and practical everyday acts.
[03:11–05:50] – Full reading of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Kindness.”
[05:51–06:58] – Closing production credits (end of content coverage).

Tone and Atmosphere

Throughout the episode, Maggie Smith’s delivery is warmly reflective, encouraging listeners to examine their own approach to kindness and compassion in everyday life. Her reading of Nye’s poem is calm and reverent, offering a meditative moment and gentle encouragement to embrace authentic acts of kindness.

Summary prepared to provide an engaging and comprehensive overview for those who haven’t listened to the episode.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:00]
A
This podcast is supported by Raymond James, a financial firm offering wealth management, banking and capital markets services that are inspired by people before Raymond James. Financial Advisors build plans. They build relationships so they can craft individual strategies designed to achieve priorities and pursue what's possible. That's the power of personal disclosures@raymondjames.com Raymond James and Associates, Inc. Member NYSE Sipic Crisp, refreshing and unmistakably tasty.
[00:33]
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Ice Cold Coke Zero sugar. It's the only drink with real Coca Cola taste and zero sugar. I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slowdown. Maybe you've heard the phrase Midwest nice or the more specific Minnesota nice. As someone born and raised in the Midwest, I have to admit something I've never been quite sure what this means. I think of Midwesterners as friendly, warm and hardworking, and I'd like to think that, on balance, we are welcoming and helpful to both friends and strangers alike. But Midwest nice, as it turns out, isn't much of a compliment. Midwest nice is sometimes described as being passive aggressive, being polite on the surface in public while privately harboring unkind thoughts. Oof. If I'm honest, there is some of that in the Midwest. But isn't there some of that everywhere? Humans can be prickly or judgmental or envious. They can also deeply desire approval. Humans are, well, human. Considering regionality and niceness made me think more about the difference between niceness and kindness. Niceness involves not ruffling feathers, making waves, or drawing too much attention to yourself. Niceness can be a step toward kindness, which is investing more fully in the happiness and well being of others. Wherever you live, you don't have to be nice, but please be kind. We need more genuine altruistic kindness in this world. So how can you be more kind by helping others without being performative about it and without needing recognition? By letting people know you're thinking of them, by reaching out when you know someone is struggling, and by practicing simple acts of kindness. Holding a door open, letting someone go ahead of you in line, offering a sincere compliment. And one more thing. You can take in the wisdom of today's poem and pass it along. Kindness by Naomi Shehab Nye before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things. Feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride, thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever before you learn the tender gravity of kindness. You must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread. Only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say it is I you have been looking for and then goes with you everywhere, like a shadow or a friend. The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. To get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter and find us on Instagram loadownshow and bluesky slowdownshow.org.
[06:59]
C
I'm Amy Scott, host of How We Survive, a podcast about the messy business of cloud climate solutions. To a lot of people, geoengineering might seem like a dangerous, outlandish way to play God, but some are embracing this sci fi inspired approach as a solution to the climate crisis.
[07:20]
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We're going to launch some balloons and send them into the stratosphere. A constellation of sunshades would cast an even dimming of shade across the entire earth. Investing that much in building anything in space creates a whole space economy.
[07:35]
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Listen to How We Survive on your favorite podcast. Apparently.