My grandfather is a devout Christian and I sought help for my mental illness of strict disbelief of his doctrine. I called him from the mental ward an he thought I was calling to repent but I was calling to have him check on my weed.

American slavery of the Black race, Nazi Germany's atrocities to the Jewish people, Rwanda, Ireland, and struggles across the globe remind us we cannot turn away. We cannot pretend the air we breathe does not contain the scent of suffering. We remain connected. Global warming, the environment and our natural resource depletion, sickness and disease are all symptoms of our contempt for compassion. When we abandon the erroneous belief in sovereign manifest destiny and decide our compassion is the road to harmony, we will become concerned with those things which concern everybody. We will re-align with God who above all things wants us to prosper and be in good health even as our souls do prosper.

There is only one race...the human race. There is only one goal...to love. There is only one method...myself. There is only one time...now.

Unable to see "other," compassion is love for All, love for the One.

A single act of compassion imperceptibly improves the entire world but has a relatively greater effect on those conjoined in its expression. It changes each of them, those around them, and those who will be around them, as its implications cascade forward through all the possible futures enabled by it. One can change many, especially if our common cause is fully realised.

Some people have said the history of mankind is a story of expanding compassion, starting with one's own people, then one's community, one's country, and now we speak of the globe, but... compassion is already at hand. I think it's not helpful, however, to belittle in any way the compassion that people have for their families or communities as 'insufficient', even if we think 'more is better'. The expansion of compassion comes, not from any external source telling us we had better grow up and be better people, but rather from seeing the need for it directly oneself. Those small examples of compassion, the love of a mother for their child, care for one's lovers, the desire to help a friend in need, these are the buds out of which any larger compassion would grow, regardless of religious belief.

Let us recognize that every human being, irrespective of race or creed, nationality or nature, is an embodiment of a conscious self, that aspires to well-being and is jealous of one'ssecurity. From this understanding, let us resolve to give our love and caring to everyone we interact with, whether or not that person is friendly or inimical towards us. This indeed is the noblest mode of religious and secular practice that we must all strive to live up to. Only when all individuals and groups conduct their personal and community lives in this framework, will the highest potential of our species be actualized, and then ours will be a truly better and more enlightened world. V. V. Raman November 26, 2008

Compassion is love is God. When we ask "what would love do?" compassion follows effortlessly. When we know that we are all one, then the saying, "Love thy neighbor as thyself", describes the essence of compassion. Love is a positive force. If we can reach deep into ourselves, we know the way.

The real heart of how to make compassion central in the world is we must address how it applies to those with whom we disagree or even those who see us as their enemy. In a larger sense, we must make clear how justice and compassion should be reconciled in our lives. Justice requires us to create and defend standards for human conduct. In the real world there is disagreement on what exactly those standards should be. For instance some feel women should should be free to control their own lives and take on any role or challenge to the best of their abilities. Others feel this position is immoral and leads to depravity and the disintegration of society. We need to be clear that compassion does not require us to drop our own ideals and beliefs. Moral arguments and confrontations will and should occur as part of the progress of human society. However, compassion/love means even as we fight for our ideas we never fight the person. Compassion means every person has our understanding and basic respect as fellow living beings. Mohandas Gandhi understood this concept and is a wonderful example of how to apply it in life. He confronted the worst in human nature but always with great respect and consideration for those who opposed the just results he was trying to obtain.

The ability to sincerely care about the needs of another person require us to consciously sacrifice our self-absorption and selfishness for the well-being of others.

Compassion is formally represented in a hierarchy of intimately related virtues that deal with transitional themes of a virtuous nature that appear across all religious traditions: Self-Esteem  Reverence Apology Clemency Pomp  Veneration Rectitude  Pardon Sanctity  Homage Penitence  Absolution Dominion  Benediction Contrition  Deliverance CongenialityConcession Appease.Sympathy CordialityIndulgence ConciliateCompassion HospitalityGratitude Accommodat.Mercy Altruism  Goodwill Sacrifice  Forgiveness Themes that complement the major virtuous themes: Nostalgia - Hero Worship Guilt - Blame Glory - Prudence Honor - Justice Providence - Faith Liberty - Hope Grace - Beauty Free-will - Truth Tranquility - Ecstasy Equality - Bliss Desire - Approval Worry - Concern Dignity - Temperance Integrity - Fortitude Civility - Charity Austerity - Decency Magnanim.-Goodness Equanimity- Wisdom Love - Joy Peace - Harmony more at www.charactervalues.org

Let it be affirmed by all: that there is no one who is unworthy of love; that there is no one who is unworthy of care; that there is no one who is unworthy of forgiveness; that there is no one who is unworthy of peace and happiness. Let it be practiced by all: that we shall strive to show love to everyone; that we shall strive to care for everyone; that we shall strive to forgive everyone; that we shall strive to create a world of peace and the pursuit of happiness for everyone. Let us all regard these things as the practical purposes of religion and the spiritual meaning of life itself. If even one person is forgotten, rejected, or left behind, then we all have failed in our sacred duty as human beings -- for to extend compassion to the least of our brothers and sisters in the human family is to embody the Most Great Spirit from which we all came into being.

This is how the spiritual teacher Master Ali Rafea sums up the fruits when compassion permeates our view to the diverse holy Scriptures: 1-We shall discover that the oneness of humanity comes from the oneness of the higher Source of guidance even if everyone expresses the inner truth differently. Whether we say that the guidance comes from the Higher, from the Divine, from the Supreme, from Allah, from God, or any other name, there are ‘diverse Expressions’ but One Source. 2- Such awareness leads to respecting ‘diverse Expressions’ and trying to read these Expressions in positive ways. We still have to be conscious that our being different doesn’t mean that we cannot talk to each other. Rather, we have to discuss anything with each other while being aware that whatever our conclusions are, they will be but manifesting our oneness.3- We shall realize that giving to our fellow human beings unconditionally and compassionately will have a positive effect on our spiritual evolvement since it is an expression of one’s dealing with God in caring for all His creation.4-Nobody or group would dare to feel superior since it is beyond our capacity as human beings to have the proper measure to absolutely judge who is better than the other. The guidance to refrain from any attempt for judgment because God alone knows is stated very clearly in so many verses in the Qur’an: "Verily thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, in the matters wherein they differ (among themselves)". (Assajdah 30: 25). 5-Each and everyone shall, with that awareness, observe his own deeds to adifferentiate between a case in which the source of a given expression is the higher Self that transcends the earthly body or the ego, and another in which the lower self is the source of this very expression.(end of quotation). So, with mutual compassion everbody will be safe from judging or being judged. And everyone shall have his or her place in a global community.

We live in a cubicle world, this western world. We walk from place to place, without even the slightest glance at our contemporaries. If we take even the slightest glance at anothers' expression and acknowledge them for it, we show them compassion. It is this small step that will unite us in love.

Toward EVERYONE. That's hard to really digest. Think about those moments where you think negative thoughts toward someone, whether due to road rage, being confronted, not liking someone's actions or affiliations. Now try to think about substituting your own feelings of resentment, anger, or whatever conflicting emotion you get with the idea "so what's his/her problem and why are they acting out or being the way they are". THAT is where empathy is involved. Compassion and empathy go hand in hand. Understand the frustration of a drug addict or the homeless person who needs a drink and don't judge as to "how can I feel good toward someone who can't even feed or clothe themselves or find shelter when all they can think about is getting high". You are not in their reality and perhaps their path of least resistance toward solving their own misery is to escape that reality. That's one example. How can you intervene or help and be compassionate. Touch someone personally. Find out where they live, how they live, why they live like they do, who they are, who they were and truly show interest in them or their cause, and not some boilerplate method of response. Giving money is NOT always the most compassionate and/or benevolent thing to do. It could be the simplest thing to do that makes the giver of the money feel some significance toward their own compassionate self-image. That is where I find many "religious" people are NOT tuned in to true compassion. You can go to church and hear sermons and feel the energy of the congregation, but take that outside of the moment and introduce inconvenience, unfamiliarity and ignorance about conditions and suddenly the compassion of our teachings doesn't fit so well. That is where humanitarianism is a MUST and has to be RE-introduced into our religious settings. I was raised Roman Catholic and my experiences have shown far too much is done for appearances and for self-serving reasons. Reading Ayn Rand would have us believe that NO ONE is capable of an unselfish act. I don't agree with that view but there is some truth in how an act of compassion vs. being compassionate are NOT the same in my opinion. The charter needs to find that distinction and make it abundantly clear in my opinion. Effort and actions trump deed and quantitative significance on an individual level in my book. Goals and ideals toward compassion should be a product of what you are capable of providing, and not simple a deed is a deed since for some those are a dime a dozen.

Compassion cannot be accomplished unless we remove barriers between 'I', 'We' and alien others. If some one hurt 'me', I would be hurt more because I understand that that aggression brings negativity to one's heart. Compassion would make me sorry for this person, and pray for him/her. If some one does me a favor, I would feel grateful, not only to this person as a giver, but also to the power of love that manifest through both of our hearts. It through compassion, one would make one's best to support and help all people in need without distinction. It is because of compassion, joy and happiness fill one's heart when we see other do what we wish we could do. Compassion get us together to give to and receive from one another, realizing that in the two direction, there is this flow of love that connect us to the whole the Divine.

Behavioral science is really an odd bird. This is because so many people struggle with cause and effect. This is also why the patient who is brought into therapy is often not the focus for the change. The patient's spouse, employees, parent, etc, are often the individuals in a hold pattern of responding to behavior which gets, at the least, periodic reward. For the child acting out, the reward may be attention. If the child does not learn to get positive attention, they WILL learn to get negative attention. (Second born child syndrome: If the child cannot compete with the abilities of the older sibling they will act Behavioral science is really an odd bird. This is because so many people struggle with cause and effect. This is also why the patient who is brought into therapy is often not the focus for the change. The patient's spouse, employees, parent, etc, are often the individuals in a hold pattern of responding to behavior which gets, at the least, periodic reward. For the child acting out, the reward may be attention. If the child does not learn to get positive attention, they WILL learn to get negative attention. (Second born child syndrome: If the child cannot compete with the abilities of the older sibling they will act out for negative attention. Let's face it. Negative attention beats no attention. ) The same goes with the woman who complains about the guy who keeps calling on the telephone. Every time she answers the phone, she is rewarding the behavior. And as the gambling industry has so effectively put into practice, periodic reward is more addictive than constant reward. If you do not hear the little bells ring every twenty minutes or so with a few coins deposited back, you will not continue to feed the machine. Those with cause and effect problems do not realize that if they are not getting the response they desire, they need to change the approach. Beating the dog harder does not change the problem. It would be much simpler to change the time you feed the dog, be available to take the dog out at the appropriate time, and praise the dog for the desired results. I have seen prisoner's work with dogs and the offenders grasp the ideas very quickly. I believe that everyone who works in education, management or supervision should be required to take a class in dog training. HOW TO TEACH A CHICKEN TO DANCE: You must believe the chicken is not evil. The chicken is not out to get you. The chicken's doe snot live just to annoy you. Its mission in life is not to frustrate you. You must reward the chicken for behavior you want. Reward the chicken with something the chicken actually likes...not something you think the chicken ought to like. You must reward close approximations of the behavior, if the chicken turns his head in the right direction, reward him! Do not wait until the chicken dances perfectly. If the chicken points a toe in the right direction, reward him. You must ignore behavior you do not want; the non-dancing behavior. Do not use punishment. Rewards for the desired behavior need to greatly exceed any punishment. THESE PRINCIPLES MUST BE SUPPORTED BY THIS BASIC RULE: "THE DESIRE FOR CHANGE AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHANGE MUST RESIDE WITHIN THE SAME PERSON." If one may teach a chicken to dance by following these principles, it follows that a parent could teach a child, a spouse could teach a spouse, a friend could teach a friend, or a partner could teach a partner. Now for your laugh of the day: go to you tube and view Stroszek-Dancing Chicken.

We are humankind not only because were share the same cell structure, but we also share the same needs to belong and t love. Since, we must live in the world with our fellowman that's where our learning must take place. "When you are a teacher, by your student's you'll be taught." (The King and I.) This means that by teaching we are really learning. One cannot learn to drive by sitting in the passenger seat. All learning takes place in doing. We must practice all these principles with others in order to learn them ourselves.

We are all but pieces of the puzzle that forms the large picture of life. We cannot conform to the same shape and colors and complete the picture. Conformity is not learning. Conformity is imitation. The infant babbles the same repeated sounds over and over again, but it has little meaning. It is years later that those sounds can be arranged into eloquent expressions of individualism. Expanded consciousness is expressed in expanded expressions. Just as snowflake has a unique design, every man must have a unique expression of his consciousness. Each of us is a database of information arranged in different manners. We do not allow the expression of higher development orbit I our same daily path. Though we are all connected we are not the same. We must release the belief that “fair” and “same” are equal concepts.

“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowmen. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.” (Talmud, Shabbat, 31 a: Judaism.) “Do not judge your brother until your have walked a mile in his moccasins.” (Native American Indian.) “Hurt not other in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Udana-Varga, 5, 18: Buddhism.) “This is the sum of your duty: Do naught unto others which would be painful if done to you.” (Mahabharata, 5, 1517: Brahmanism.) “Surely, it is the maxim of loving-kindness. Do not do unto others that which you would not have them do unto you.” (Analects, 15, 23: Confucianism.) “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself.” (Dadistan-i-dinik, 94, 5: Zoroastrrrianism.) “God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others." (Islam) “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law.”(Matthew 7:12: Christianity.)

Compassion is the bridge between people; the ability to communicate that we are all human and can understand one another on some level. Compassion does not mean acceptance, merely the recognition of the human experience of another. We can have compassion for those with whom we strongly disagree. With compassion we can start to move seemingly unsolvable and diametrically opposed positions towards solutions.

Affirmations for governance: a) A compassionate government does not allow the mechanisms of governance to be used to promote or enforce a religious agenda. b) A compassionate government does not allow any geographic area, be it country, state, city, or neighborhood, to be reserved for the exclusive residence, use, or access by people subscribing to a specific religion, denomination, or ethnic tradition. Procedural note: I propose to add a new “core element” of compassion: Compassion as a fundamental principal of governance. The above items are submitted as part of ‘Compassion as a concern for everybody’ because it is the closest match to this issue. Rationale: Government is for all of the people, not just adherents to one or another religion. Government must not allow itself to be used to enable one religious group or another to gain any power, no matter how seemingly trivial, over individuals who do not voluntarily subscribe to that group. It is the duty of government to guarantee the free-as-possible religious practice to every individual. Diversity of religious practice is to be guaranteed even for minorities of one. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority .) The greatest atrocities occur when a governing body or would-be governing body attempts to establish a “pure” religious or ethnic area. As a practical matter even if some jurisdiction starts out being religiously or ethnically homogeneous, people’s beliefs change over time, even within one family. It is simply cruel to require people who have changed their beliefs to be separated. Often the family unit or community itself is quite tolerant of the emerging religious differences of the individuals who have been members of the group for some time. If familial compassion within one household allows for differences, why shouldn’t the government? Families or neighbors, left to their own, often overcome these prejudices because they already know and accept the individuals based upon direct association and trust. (“I’ve known my neighbor for 30 years. He has always helped me out and never uttered an unkind word. Even though he doesn’t share my religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter.”) Since even a homogeneous region tends to become mixed over time, it is certainly cruel and wrong to attempt to create a new homogeneous area through forced migration, expulsion, or “cleansing”.

Compassion embraces everyone and everything, global vision of the fabulous unified coherency between all living organisms and the quiet celebration of this belonging, awareness of the rules that govern its fluid harmony.

It is often easiest for us to help those to closest to us, and we shouldn't neglect suffering nearby. We often forget, however, that helping those we don't know may prevent harm to our loved ones. If we can reduce the anger and resentment that arises from suffering by being compassionate to strangers, and to those seeming to be enemies, violence by those in pain and their loved ones is less likely. In the modern world, it is not that difficult for someone to unleash violence as revenge against strangers both near and far.

Compassion is our connection for we are all built on and develop with and grow by compassion: that which we are given and that which we offer. Compassion is the common thread that moves us and moves the world; the only path, really, that can heal. If compassion led the way, no person would hurt another, and there'd be no need for dominance and intimidation as we'll all be seen as worthy of opinion and act; children, the holders of our future, would be cherished and guided through love and light and health; no person or group would dream of hurting the world we live in and which supports us, because it would be an act of irreverence to do so, and compassion and irreverence cannot co-exist; and how one believed would not matter, for our common ground would far overpower the slight differences in how we get there. Compassion is what links us, because people are, in essence and essentials--all the same; the rest just trimmings that say little of what's inside us and makes us whole. Compassion is, after all, the only currency that really matters--the one thing our world, ourselves, our future, cannot do without.