Robert Service: Compassion
For God knows it is good to give;
We may not have so long to live,
So if we can,
Let’s do each day a kindly deed,
And stretch a hand to those in need,
Bird, beast or man.
Video: Spoon
In this visual poem, Markus Kempken explores specific objects — spoons, spatulas, flutes — and the way they trigger memories of his childhood abuse.
Carolyn Gregory: Listening
Compassion unfolds her bright blue
wings and shelters us.
Pema Chödrön: A Story about Fear
The student warrior stood on one side, and fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons.
Karen Friedland: A Prayer for Rough Sleepers
Someone, give us the strength
to survive this particular onslaught
of cell-death and other indignities
Michael Simms: Antbed
You may remember my father
died when I was eight
my mother closed up
the house and we went to stay
with my grandmother for a few months
Video: Fitting
Inside a lingerie fitting room, two strangers – a customer who has recently undergone a mastectomy and a bra fitter – are bound on a mission to find a bra that works.
Baruch November: Beard 18
The Zohar tells us a beard embodies the 13 attributes of mercy and compassion, yet sometimes I care only about myself. I love the snow in its falling, though, I … Continue reading
Abby Zimet: Good Job, Little Man
Before plunging into the grim cauldron that is this week’s news about the ravaging of democracy, decency and our precious, fragile, singular planet, here’s a picture of a small good thing.
Video: We are built to be kind
Human nature is often portrayed as selfish and power hungry, but research by Dacher Keltner finds that we are hard-wired to be kind.
Baruch November: Our Captain Speaking
hard pretzels curved to the shape
of life’s perilous twists
Abby Zimet: To Tell You the Story
Yannis Behrakis, one of the world’s most respected photographers who chronicled with empathy “the best and the worst of humankind” in global conflicts and crises, has died of cancer at 58. Born … Continue reading
Fay Bound Alberti: One is the loneliest number
The history of a Western problem ‘God, but life is loneliness,’ declared the writer Sylvia Plath in her private journals. Despite all the grins and smiles we exchange, she says, … Continue reading
Video: Brené Brown on Blame
. You are probably a bit of a blamer – most of us are. But why should we give it up? In this short animated film, inspirational thinker Brené Brown … Continue reading
