Day Ten: Embodying Compassion

Day Ten: Embodying Compassion

“Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depth of their hearts where neither sin nor knowledge could reach, the core of reality, the person that each one is in the eyes of the divine. If only they could see themselves as they really are, if only we could see each other that way all the time, there would be no more need for war; for hatred, for greed, for cruelty. I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.”  – Father Thomas...

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How to Submit Activity Information (and Get Points) During the Games

Dear Compassion Gamers, The Games have begun and now it is time to put our compassion and love to use in order to build a stronger, more connected, more compassionate world. To record your random acts of kindness, your Secret Agents of Compassion acts, or your service projects, you will need to submit reports about them on the Compassion Map. During the Games we will be highlighting and writing about all sorts of contributions, large and small, but for those who are counting, it is important...

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September 11th Revisited by Lucy Dougall

What if instead of remembering the horror the anger and hate the fear and suspicion What if instead of a 12 year war that no one can win where everyone loses where the aftermath continues to damage untold lives We take something else from that fateful day? The memory of firemen entering the burning wreckage ordinary people rushing to help to give blood to comfort the injured to feed the rescuers all joining together in compassion, remembering loved ones in shrines of flowers and candles What...

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Seeking News that Inspires

Interning for the Compassion Games, I have elected to spend much time seeking out stories of love, hope and compassion to put on the Compassion Map. The process has been illuminating. One thing I've learned while searching for stories of compassion is that there is, as the truism goes, a great bias towards negative news in the media, especially in foreign coverage. You really have to dig to find anything positive. The effect of this, naturally, is separating and divisive, both reinforcing and...

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Challenging Us to Create a Culture of Peace and Compassion

What kind of culture are we growing?  Culture refers to everything that makes up our way of life. Our culture comes from the process of cultivation. We have learned how to grow our culture as in agriculture and horticulture. This suggests that our culture is a function of how we think and act, individually and collectively, and that we can change our culture by acting imaginatively and creatively. Our culture is revealed in the ways we work and play. Play is primary to how we create culture....

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So Who Won the Compassion Games?

First off, the winners of the Compassion Games are all of us. Everybody wins when somebody makes an effort to treat others more kindly, respectfully and thoughtfully. So the short answer is everybody won! Thank you to all of our partners, sponsors, volunteers, and participants for making the games a great success! At the same time, Seattle was responding to a "community challenge" from the City of Louisville, Kentucky.... read more here.

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Compassion is a two-way stream – one must give in order to receive

By Atit Marmer My entire life has been committed to learning and understanding the giving and receiving of compassion. My first memory of an event involving this spiritual path goes way back to the sixth grade when our class visited a student art show presented by a school situated in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I grew up. I felt the pain and resilience of the students, many of whom were my age, and I instinctively reached out to a number of them, talking and...

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A teacher’s compassion, a family supported

By Marilyn Pulliam Mary and her mother were with the principal, who introduced Mary saying, “Mrs. Jones will be your reading teacher.” “I don’t read,” came the reply. “Mrs. Jones will teach you.” “I don’t read,” she repeated. To break the impasse Mrs. Jones invited Mary to a corner of the room. Mary really meant she not only did not read but couldn’t. Mrs. Jones had a book which contained only stick figures to illustrate the story. After several pages a single word appeared on the page. Soon...

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Films tell stories of compassion at Seattle event

 Submitted by What's Good 206 If you let a community tell its own stories, what do you hear? During Seattle's Compassion Games, independent filmmakers brought us stories of a neighborhood coming together around a community garden, a community formed around an all-night diner, and a community of dancers that became family for a Seattle newcomer.   These and about a dozen other films were shown during an event called, "A Story Runs Through It, " which was hosted by Seattle International...

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Help plant a garden of compassion at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club

By Jon Ramer   The Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club needs you. Dedicated school chef Patrice Freeman shops the sales to feed her hungry troupe, but she has a dream, to feed her boys and girls with fresh fruit and vegetables from a bountiful school garden. She has the space, and she's looking for donations of soil and the materials to create eight to 10 large planters for the garden and fill them with rich planting soil for the 2013 spring and summer. The club is budget challenged. On the...

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