When I first walked into the Whidbey GeoDome, I thought, "What an odd rubber room." The inflatable space requires passage through a heavy, velcro curtain and is dotted with ground-level seats. Making myself comfortable in the middle of the front row, I was soon surrounded by images projected on all sides of the dome and surround-sound narration and audio. The effect—like an intimate planetarium—was spectacular. The minds behind the GeoDome believe in the power of stories—big and...
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Spontaneous Ways to Make a Difference
[View the story "Random Acts of Compassion" on Storify]
“I Wasn’t Arrested That Day, I Was Really Rescued!”
Here is a story of compassion that is so needed at this time as we support our police force to think differently about how they relate to their fellow citizens. Imagine if it was your job to arrest people. How would you relate to the people you're arresting? What does it mean to treat those who are being arrested with compassion? A few weeks ago I was witness to an uncanny event that helped shed light on these questions. While attending a meeting focused on the Safe Communities program, I met...
September 21st – Good Star Alignment for the Compassion Games
Early on we realized that September 21st was an ideal day to start the Compassion Games not only because it’s the United Way’s Day of Caring, but also because it’s the autumnal fall equinox and the much beloved International Day of Peace. Fortunately this year, the Peace, Compassion, Happiness, Empathy, Understanding, Love and Generosity movements are all working together. We’re all after the same ideal of a better world for our children and grandchildren no matter what you call it. Compassion...
Our Stand for Compassion at Seattle Center
As part of Compassionate Seattle's plan to create “collective impact” we put together a physical “stand for compassion” that was on display at Seattle Center. On seven occasions we set up our stand and engaged with fellow citizens about our community and our plans to create a culture of compassion in our region. We learned how people think and feel about compassion and how they see or don't see themselves connected to other people and the greater community. I came to believe that we are not...
Compassionate Louisville: The Community Challenge
The inspiration for the Compassion Games comes from our friends in Louisville, Kentucky. Mayor Greg Fischer and his team are implementing their compassionate cities program in a remarkable fashion. After Seattle affirmed the Charter for Compassion and invited other cities around the world to join with us in creating 10 Year Campaigns for Compassionate Cities, Louisville was one of the first and by far the most developed cities campaign we encountered. The Compassionate Action Network...