When we are each being shown a different version of the world, we should not be surprised that common ground is harder to find. Rebuilding it begins with something no algorithm can replace: conversation, listening and genuine human connection.

This North Texas Giving Day comes at an especially important moment for Thanks-Giving Square, and thanks to generous benefactors, every gift will go twice as far. Together, we can sustain a place and a movement devoted to bringing people together and strengthening the values our city needs most: gratitude, kindness, respect and understanding.

What began at Thanks-Giving Square has gone global. Faye Lane’s first international Story Spiral in Toyama, Japan, brought strangers across cultures and languages together through the simple, powerful act of sharing stories and listening deeply.

As artificial intelligence reshapes our world, the qualities that make us most human—wisdom, empathy, judgment and moral reasoning—may matter more than ever. The humanities help us wrestle with the questions technology cannot answer: what we value, what is just and how we should live together.

Dallas artist Alena Niehaus recently discovered the Chapel of Thanks-Giving and, through her art and a remarkable Instagram video, helped nearly 200,000 people discover it, too. Her story reminds us that sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to see—and appreciate—the extraordinary places that have been part of our city all along.

North Texas Kindness Week returns November 7–14 with an invitation to turn kindness into action across our workplaces, schools, congregations and neighborhoods. Together, we can show that the character of a great city is shaped not only by what we build, but by how we treat one another.

What if one simple practice could help us approach others with greater empathy and understanding? Kyle Ogden reflects on the transformative power of "Just like me," inviting readers to see beyond labels and rediscover the shared humanity that connects us all.