How One Man’s Journey to Feel Connected Took Him Around the Globe Relying Solely on the Kindness of Strangers

Imagine setting out on a journey traveling across the globe relying solely on the kindness of others to get you through. That’s right - no cash, no credit cards, no food and no place to stay. That is exactly what Leon Logothetis does in his inspiring docuseries The Kindness Diaries.

When a good friend Don, a parker ranger at Mt. Shasta, suggested watching the Kindness Diaries, I was immediately curious. You see Don hates TV, and I mean all television. So, what on earth could have gotten him so excited about this show?

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Well, I decided to find out for myself. I immediately googled it and found I could only watch it through Prime Discovery Plus for a fee. Like I don’t pay enough already for all my different binge-watching needs, it was just one more thing to sign up for. However, I reluctantly, with annoyance I might add, signed up and began streaming the first episode to the family room TV.

Boy, was it absolutely worth it! I was hooked from the moment Leon spoke his profound opening lines, an absolute “you had me at hello” moment.

“From a distance, the world probably seems like a bad scary place. If you listen to the news or even ask the person next to you, they will talk about war, poverty, corruption and hate. And they are right… from a distance. But I believe that up close, there is enough good, enough love and enough pure kindness to make the world go round and that is what inspired my journey.”

You see the Kindness Diaries is premised on the idea that great kindness exists in this world and you can rely solely on that kindness to survive. To prove his theory, its creator Leon Logothetis took a giant leap of faith and set out across the globe trusting his belief and giving in to his desire to feel connected after having spent a childhood feeling alone and bullied. In Season 1, with nothing more than his trusty bright yellow motorbike, complete with a little sidecar known as “Kindness One,” Leon starts his epic journey from California, heading east to New York. From there, he catches a ferry to Spain and finds himself in places like Sarajevo, Kosovo, Turkey, India, Thailand and Cambodia until he eventually makes his way back to his starting destination in Hollywood, California.

Leon has no money, not even for gas or food, and has no place to stay. He must rely on the people he meets along the way to help him. He must ask for help from perfect strangers to survive the journey and get him safely to his final destination. When he fails, he finds himself hungry on the side of a road, crammed into the sidecar for the night or sleeping on a beach.

What Leon discovers along the way as the series unfolds is incredibly powerful. Those who have the least to give are often the ones who selflessly give Leon the most, sharing their last bit of food or offering him a place to sleep in a home that is not even big enough for their own family let alone a guest. Many who you least expect help from offer more than just a helping hand. They take him into their homes as if he is family, sleeping on the floor while offering him their bed, giving him the last of their crumbs to nourish him, and filling his gas tank when they cannot even afford a vehicle of their own.

Only that isn’t where the idea behind this show ends… there is so much more to this story that those who help Leon do not yet know…

You see, for those who help Leon the most along the way, truly giving of themselves when they have so little to spare, Leon and his two camera men have something for them. Leon is not just on this journey asking for help. He is there to give back, and he doesn’t just give a handout or spare change. He gives back gifts that have an absolutely profound impact on the course of the person’s life. Some not only change the lives of the recipient but the recipient’s entire family for future generations to come. This is the true purpose of this show... giving back.

Quite literally, every episode will leave you in tears the gifts are so meaningful and profound. Tears of sadness and sorrow for the pain others are forced to endure. Tears of absolute joy on what the gifts mean for these people – the promise of a better future.

In fact, I can hardly keep myself from sharing with you what some of these gifts were, but I don’t want to give anything away. I am not a fan of spoiler alerts. Suffice it to say, they were life changing and I urge anyone reading this to watch for yourself for it will rekindle your faith in humanity and make you want to give back too. It literally made me want to jump off my couch right then and there and change the trajectory and course of my life forever. To get out into the world and do something profound - to make a difference like Leon has done.