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.
Michael Simms: Oh Darlin’
The intimacy
Of strangers is luminous, the way
We wish well for the man who lost
His car keys, the woman coming in
Out of the rain, the girl who missed
Her bus, the boy who stutters.
Carolyn Gregory: Listening
Compassion unfolds her bright blue
wings and shelters us.
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
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.
Frank T. McAndrew: Could a lack of humility be at the root of what ails America?
So what happens when everyone thinks they’re smarter than everyone else?
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.
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
Kate Daniels: Detox
So she wouldn’t judge, she practiced empathy, sitting for months in full lotus, palms open, thumb and forefinger touching to make a small circle she could empty her thoughts inside … Continue reading
Video: The Power of Empathy — a quick animated clip that can make you a better person
This animated clip features Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, providing some quick insights into the difference between sympathy and … Continue reading
