“Kindness is the best medicine.” A homeless man’s sign on Hollywood Boulevard.
By: Dee Ellmann
Global adventurer, philanthropist and former London stockbroker Leon Logothetis has been traveling the world for several years now to find people who inspire him with their kindness. Before Leon embarked on his adventures, he had everything that mattered on the outside—a job, money and a place to live, but inside he felt disconnected and alone. Inspired by the film Motorcycle Diaries about a young Che Guevara traveling by motorcycle with a friend thoughout South America, Leon decided to leave his career behind a “wooden slab” (his desk) in search of kind, compassionate people. “What saved me is sharing stories which encourage people to feel connected, turn off their phones, see their loved ones and make their loved ones feel seen.”
By traveling with nothing but a vehicle, a camera crew, and an open heart and mind, Leon is totally dependent on the kindness of strangers for food, lodging, and assistance. Some of the people he has met have inspired him so much that he has given back to them. He is prepared to give “life changing gifts” to people that touch his heart with their generosity like the homeless man in Pittsburg that spent a night with Leon on the streets and protected him. Leon was able to give him an apartment and training as a chef. A priest in Costa Rica who feeds thousands of orphans was given food for the children for a year. A doctor in Vietnam who performs cataract surgery for patients who can’t afford it was given the money to assure he would be able to continue giving the precious gift of sight to those that need it. Traveling from Alaska to Argentina in a 1971 yellow VW Beetle named Kindness Two, Logothetis is living a life of serendipitous adventures where he never knows when he will find someone who is a living example of human kindness.
If you have not seen this series on Netflix or read any of Leon’s books and you are wondering what One Day is about, I can think of no better examples than the people that Leon is meeting in the cities and towns all over the world. Most of these people do not have much to spare, yet they are willing to share what they have to nourish others. Every time, I watch one of these episodes on Netflix, I realize once again that those that have less are often the most generous people you will meet.
To learn more about Leon, his adventures and his books (Amazing Adventures of a Nobody, The Kindness Diaries, Live, Love, Explore: Discover the Way of the Traveler, a Roadmap to the Life You Were Meant to Live), go to leonlogothetis.com.
