Hold on to what is good,
Even if it’s a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it’s a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it’s a long way from here.
~Pueblo Prayer
Some Thoughts for Adopting Compassion In Our Daily Life
Community connection
Recognize all of the levels
of community, but start at home.
Your own family is your closest circle
of community.
Start talking to those closest to you, of all ages,
with a
practice of sharing ideas and beliefs in an open-minded,
opinion-based
manner.
Look for similarities, and practice agreeing to disagree.
Then
take this practice out into other levels
— into neighborhoods, towns,
cities, counties, and states.
Expand this idea of community both
nationally and globally.
Communication
Practice respectful, “I statement”
language and learn
how to agree to disagree. No one likes to be judged
for what they believe or to feel attacked.
Owning your opinion while
communicating
allows for dialogue and debate instead of argument and
conflict.
Honesty and Accountability
Be honest with
yourself and others about what you feel
you could have done better up
until this point.
Then, in the areas you have fallen short, take action.
Even making a point to pick an issue and thoughtfully,
respectfully
communicate your opinions to your elected officials
via phone, letter,
or email
just once a week is a proactive, positive action.
Passion
Take inventory of what inspires you and
act upon it.
Make a list of everything you can think of that inspires
positive feelings
within you or that you feel passionate about.
Pick a
few of those things and research needs or initiatives in that area.
Commitment
We will never be united and find any
sense of peace
if we do not make a commitment to stay engaged and active
in the democratic process.
Let’s all take a moment today and offer one small step
toward a
better tomorrow.
Let’s offer one small step to ourselves,
our children,
and our grandchildren.
Adapted from author: Cyndy Dalton
New Books by Charter of Compassion – Global Compassion Council Members
Into the Magic Shop by James Doty.
Now in paperback.
The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the
extraordinary things
that can happen when we harness the power of both
the brain and the heart.
Growing up in the high desert of California,
Jim Doty was poor,
with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically
depressed
and paralyzed by a stroke.
Today he is the director of the
Center for Compassion and Altruism Research
and Education (CCARE) at
Stanford University,
of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor.
But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered
into a
magic shop looking for a plastic thumb.
Instead he met Ruth, a woman who
taught him a series of exercises
to ease his own suffering and manifest
his greatest desires.
Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open
and teach these techniques to others.
She gave him his first glimpse of
the unique relationship
between the brain and the heart.
From Hero to Healer by Robin Youngson.
In Robin’s own words: I’m
a practising doctor in New Zealand
and an internationally renowned
leader in compassionate healthcare.
I really care about building a
better world.
Here’s the question that really bugs me:
‚Despite our
persistent efforts, and high-profile campaigns
involving millions of
people, why are we not making more progress
on social and environmental
issues?
We are witnessing more poverty, more inequality,
more chronic
disease, more social breakdown, worsening pollution,
and ever-increasing
carbon emissions?‘
Could it be that
the strategies we employ as activists
are actually sustaining the
problems we’re trying to address?
As honestly as I can, I share with you
the five BIGGEST mistakes
I made in a decade of campaigning, and how my
counter-intuitive
new strategies led to international success.
Join Us
Help the Charter continue to build a strong international network
of cities
and partners and help with initiatives that are addressing
human rights,
homelessness, hunger and campaigns that are resulting
in
challenging healthcare and environment efforts.
Help us put our tag
line: Peace starts here into action.
Consider donating to the Charter.
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