The couple shared their reflections when they saw Shen Yun at The New Victoria Theatre on Feb. 5. “It was just amazing and uplifting,” said Mrs. Oakley, a bereavement and drug addiction therapist.

Mr. Oakley, a retired engineer and business coach, took his insights to another level. “For me, it’s a spiritual journey,” he said. “I just watched it and loved every moment of it because it was a freedom of expression but expressed in dance. It’s unique. Beautiful.”

Mrs. Oakley responded to the challenge of giving this message to the modern society. “Oh, I think that’s a very big question. I love it. But I think that that whole concept of what we’ve just seen out there, especially the bits about kindness and love. If we have some kindness or a bit more love, the world becomes a much better place. And the beauty in what we’ve just seen, very uplifting for me.”

Mr. Oakley said, “Actually, from what we have seen tonight if just a fraction of what we have seen tonight was carried forward by everyone, the world’s just going to be in a better place.”

The modern world is a difficult place to spread the message of goodness and kindness, he said.

“The world seems, people seem very insular. They only seem to be concerned about themselves, and not the wider aspect of the world, which is sad. If we had more shows like this, more stories to tell, more experiences to see, everyone would benefit,” he said.

“I think also the history, just seeing that history, because it just permeates through, about how kindness is about what it’s about. Life is about being kind. There’s no charge for that,” she said.

Mr. Oakley said, “We’ve forgotten where we come from. I have a saying in business—Our life is a gift from God. What we do with it is our gift to Him. I don’t think we treasure that, and we need to.”