Recently, veteran Steve Hartman, the longtime CBS News correspondent behind the beloved “On the Road” series, released a video that has now been recognized with an Emmy nomination for its heartfelt impact.
Hartman’s Kindness 101 segments — short, poignant lessons rooted in real human stories — have grown from a creative response to the 2020 pandemic into a cultural touchstone for kindness, character and empathy.
At its core, the series reminds us that behind every headline is a person’s life — with hopes, challenges, dreams and heartbreak. And in a piece like the one you shared, that truth is put into sharp focus: the profound loss of children — America’s future — and the generations of families thrust into grief and unanswered questions.
Why This Matters — Beyond the Award
An Emmy nomination is more than industry recognition; it’s a testament to how deeply these stories resonate with audiences. But the impact of Hartman’s work — especially videos that touch on devastating loss — comes from something neither awards nor news metrics can measure:
- They make us feel — fully, painfully, honestly. Too often we scroll past headlines, numb to numbers. Hartman forces us to look up, to acknowledge the human being behind the statistic.
- They remind us of what we lose — not just individuals, but futures, potential, and possibilities. Childhoods cut short, families forever changed, communities transformed by absence rather than presence.
- They challenge us — not merely to grieve, but to care. Empathy doesn’t happen by accident; it is cultivated through stories that open our hearts, that ask us to sit in discomfort and say, “This matters.”
Hartman’s Kindness 101 isn’t just about feel-good moments (though there are many). It’s about confronting the tough stuff — loss, grief, hope, resilience — and finding ways to connect. In teaching kindness, he is also teaching remembrance: that those who are gone matter, that their stories ask something deeper from us than mere acknowledgment.
Can We Become a Nation of Kindness?
That’s the question at the heart of your reflection.
Will the cycle of tragedy in America ever stop? Will we ever build a culture rooted in love, respect, compassion and empathy — not only for the grieving families but for our shared humanity?
There are no easy answers. But in moments like this — when a video meant to honor lives lost becomes a national conversation and an Emmy-nominated touchstone — we are reminded that empathy still matters. That compassion still resonates. That kindness still has currency in a world that too often feels fractured.
Hartman’s video asks us not just to watch, but to care — deeply and consistently — about the cost of violence and the value of every life. As we keep these families in our hearts and prayers, perhaps the greater tribute we can give is to carry their stories forward with empathy, action and a commitment to a more humane, compassionate nation.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share your comments and like and subscribe to get notified when new articles are published.
Rick Herring
thmjmj@gmail.com