A Tribute to Dolly Through The Lens Of Purpose.

On August 25th, 2026, the world lost the one thing we could all agree on: Dolly Parton.

There is no scientific proof of this, but if I had to guess, Dolly’s Statement of Purpose would be something like, "To create So We are kind." Dolly used her natural ability to create songs to get her message out- her purpose- about what she believed would help make the world a better place for all of us, including herself - Kindness.

It is interesting that someone who seeks kindness for the collective well-being of us all and everything, including herself, ended up in an industry that can be so very unkind. That is what purpose-driven people do, though: they become martyrs for thier purpose, and in Dolly’s case, she opened herself up to criticism and unkindness so she could model kindness back.

For most purpose-driven people, when they are treated in a way that damages their well-being, that is deeply hurtful to what they believe will help us all, that becomes the motivation for what they do. Dolly was no different; through her songs, we hear her come to terms with and find meaning in moments when people have been not only kind but unkind, in the hope that we, the listeners, will find the message of kindness in them.

Using her authentic, natural ability to create, Dolly wrote songs like these to share her message.

Jolene - was written about a flirty bank teller who had a crush on her husband, and she was kindly asking her to leave him alone.

I Will Always Love You - was written for her longtime mentor and business partner, who threatened a lawsuit against her.

Coat of Many Colours - Was based on her mother’s act of kindness of sewing her a winter coat out of colourful rags gifted to the family.

So where do we go from here, now that Dolly is gone? How do we keep her legacy of kindness alive? We do it by continuing to listen to and share her songs, her message of kindness, and, most importantly, putting that message into action.

What do you believe will make the world a better place for us all? What is your statement of purpose?