While on Deviantart the other day, I came across a piece of fractal artwork. It had nothing significant in particular, just a piece of spiral fractal that could have been created from Apophysis. What did make me think though was its title--compassion. How random? I thought to myself, how does a fractal represent compassion in anyway? And so I stared at the ever repeating curls and in it saw our world. A place where most people are blind, where people only serve themselves. Then I looked at the fractal again. This time I saw Earth itself being selfish, and telling all of its inhabitants to be selfish. Through the magic of causality, somehow the selfish person in North America causes the person in Asia to be selfish too, and the cycle continues, until everyone in the world, until society, until Earth itself becomes selfish. What we see in our society is the state of "thought" of our world, and what makes up what we see in our society is what makes up the majority of the people. Society is the state of mind of the states of minds. Nature does not control people, neither do people control nature. Nature and people are one, we work hand in hand. Like a fractal, what we see in our world consists of smaller versions of itself that is us, people. So why is it that the artist represented compassion with a fractal? It is because the virtue of compassion transcends the self. Compassion is not just the emotional capability of empathy and sympathy towards individuals, nor is it just a part of love itself. Compassion reflects every little thing the compassionate person has experienced in his or her life that has given him or her that virtue, it reminds us what our world can be like. Compassion is also the hidden pattern within the fractal that is our world, that can be discovered if we just looked more carefully and ignored the more obvious pattern that is selfishness. All we need to do, is to look at our fractal, from a different perspective. Maybe then, we would see a completely different fractal.
-William Lee
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Summer lovin', happened so fast.
Summer before last, I held a volunteer position at the National Gallery of Canada. There, I met tons of amazing people - including other volunteers and visitors.
One particularly memorable day was when I worked with a girl about the same age as me - let's call her Liz. After (somewhat awkward) introductions, we started talking about the strange encounters we'd had with the visitors. One of these events involved a man speakingto at me in Spanish, walking away in a huff without waiting for a reply, then returning and saying, "Miss, you gave me the wrong directions; the cafeteria is actually to my left."
Generally, people would hear this story and comment on how the man clearly did not know what he was doing. Liz, however, responded with "I love people".
That's what compassion is. Looking at people and appreciating their quirks, and choosing not to take things personally.
- F.
One particularly memorable day was when I worked with a girl about the same age as me - let's call her Liz. After (somewhat awkward) introductions, we started talking about the strange encounters we'd had with the visitors. One of these events involved a man speaking
Generally, people would hear this story and comment on how the man clearly did not know what he was doing. Liz, however, responded with "I love people".
That's what compassion is. Looking at people and appreciating their quirks, and choosing not to take things personally.
- F.
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| (source/credits) |
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Let it Flourish
I have a part-time job as a birthday party hostess at an indoor 'playgroud', and we have many arcade games for kids to play that give tickets that you can use to buy prizes.
One day, just shortly after I had been hired, a woman in a wheelchair with two kids (an infant girl and a boy, just a few years older) came in. They stayed for a while, the kids playing on the structure and the mother watching. After a while, the little girl kept on roaming towards the prizes counter where you can trade the tickets for the prizes. My colleague, knowing that they were regular customers carried the girl over the counter where she chose a tiny pink bouncy ball she had her eye on. The girl being very young just dropped the ball off the counter and watched it bounce away from her, rather disappointed. Her brother quickly said springing to his feet: " Don't worry, I'll get it". And I saw that no matter how many times that she dropped the bouncy ball, it rolled away or it got lost, her brother was right there by her side, helping her through everything. That was such a touching and sweet thing to witness.
That made me realise that not matter what age you are, you can show compassion, that its universal, almost like an unspoken law, or a key to society. I also noted that people tend to grow out of the compassion we have as a child, as life gets harder. We start to think more about ourselves and getting somewhere that we feel like we can't, or rather don't have the time to think about others. As true as that may be, if just help others, without expecting anything in return, we might just make the world easier for that one person, and that might start a chain reaction, a that might just one day, change the world.
So folks, remember: you won't lose anything by helping someone else. You might not only help the world and the people in it, but you might gain something-- be it wisdom, knowledge, a new experience or a close friend, who knows. One thing is for certain though; good can do no wrong, and if it does, it will always, always work out in the end.
-s.m
One day, just shortly after I had been hired, a woman in a wheelchair with two kids (an infant girl and a boy, just a few years older) came in. They stayed for a while, the kids playing on the structure and the mother watching. After a while, the little girl kept on roaming towards the prizes counter where you can trade the tickets for the prizes. My colleague, knowing that they were regular customers carried the girl over the counter where she chose a tiny pink bouncy ball she had her eye on. The girl being very young just dropped the ball off the counter and watched it bounce away from her, rather disappointed. Her brother quickly said springing to his feet: " Don't worry, I'll get it". And I saw that no matter how many times that she dropped the bouncy ball, it rolled away or it got lost, her brother was right there by her side, helping her through everything. That was such a touching and sweet thing to witness.
That made me realise that not matter what age you are, you can show compassion, that its universal, almost like an unspoken law, or a key to society. I also noted that people tend to grow out of the compassion we have as a child, as life gets harder. We start to think more about ourselves and getting somewhere that we feel like we can't, or rather don't have the time to think about others. As true as that may be, if just help others, without expecting anything in return, we might just make the world easier for that one person, and that might start a chain reaction, a that might just one day, change the world.
So folks, remember: you won't lose anything by helping someone else. You might not only help the world and the people in it, but you might gain something-- be it wisdom, knowledge, a new experience or a close friend, who knows. One thing is for certain though; good can do no wrong, and if it does, it will always, always work out in the end.
-s.m
Monday, October 18, 2010
Spare Change Compassion
What do I need to do to be compassionate? Who do I need to be to become compassionate? How do I change myself so I can be a more compassionate person? But most of all, what is compassion?
These thoughts pass through my mind on my way to the doctor's office. Was it the simple gestures that most people do automatically-holding a door for an elderly lady, saying "bless you" after someone sneezes- that make you compassionate? Or were these things just common courtesies that you were "trained" to do as grow up? I decided that compassion is more than that, I started my day at an early 10:30am (early by my standards, I suppose) by filling everyone's parking meters on the street to the maximum. I figured that everyone has rough days and the last thing anyone wants or needs is a parking ticket. This was greatly enjoyed by my mother, partially because I carry around large amounts of loose change that she hates to hear clinking around, but I like to think it was mostly because the people I was helping would actually appreciate this, and possibly remember and decide to pass this gesture on. If not cost someone a parking ticket, at least I put a smile on someone's face, as I turned the corner and started walking away, I saw a man running to his meter to fill it, frantically looking in his pockets for change, when he saw that he had more than enough time, he smiled to himself.
I guess that compassion is like giving someone a gift. Whether it be the gift of life, the gift of loving, caring, hope, or a few minutes of free parking, everyone will appreciate it in the end.
Something that made me smile:
http://www.thekingcenter.org/
-M
These thoughts pass through my mind on my way to the doctor's office. Was it the simple gestures that most people do automatically-holding a door for an elderly lady, saying "bless you" after someone sneezes- that make you compassionate? Or were these things just common courtesies that you were "trained" to do as grow up? I decided that compassion is more than that, I started my day at an early 10:30am (early by my standards, I suppose) by filling everyone's parking meters on the street to the maximum. I figured that everyone has rough days and the last thing anyone wants or needs is a parking ticket. This was greatly enjoyed by my mother, partially because I carry around large amounts of loose change that she hates to hear clinking around, but I like to think it was mostly because the people I was helping would actually appreciate this, and possibly remember and decide to pass this gesture on. If not cost someone a parking ticket, at least I put a smile on someone's face, as I turned the corner and started walking away, I saw a man running to his meter to fill it, frantically looking in his pockets for change, when he saw that he had more than enough time, he smiled to himself.
I guess that compassion is like giving someone a gift. Whether it be the gift of life, the gift of loving, caring, hope, or a few minutes of free parking, everyone will appreciate it in the end.
Something that made me smile:
http://www.thekingcenter.org/
-M
Sunday, October 17, 2010
It's about everybody.
To me, Compassion is about helping a community. Not necessarily the removal of the ego in favour of others, but the expansion of the self to include anyone and everyone alive now and who will be alive. Easy enough to say, but what does that mean to me? Allow me to illustrate.
I currently go to a school which has the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. Besides housing some of the most intelligent students in the board, it also has some of the most stressed out students in the board. Students fighting to understand complex ideas, studying to remember concepts, staying up at night to finish documents... I would bet large sums of money that few of these students would be able to accomplish what they do without the aid of their classmates. We are all sympathetic to each other. More importantly, we are compassionate, and seek to help others as well as ourselves. This network of help is universally beneficial, as each and every student gets more out of it then they put in.
Now, what about the rest of the world, those who are not members of our insular group? Well, they benefit too. The symbiotic growth produced by this system creates more intelligent, cooperative, and creative people, precisely the kind of person who can bring about real change in our world.
Theoretically, this would produce a sort of feedback loop, where a global community is created which constantly improves with each others help; However, this is a very small scale community, one small pixel in the global panorama. To really revolutionize the world, compassionate systems must replace exploitative systems, which only enriches one side of the community. In my opinion, the easiest places to start are our educational institutions.
-Pat.
I currently go to a school which has the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. Besides housing some of the most intelligent students in the board, it also has some of the most stressed out students in the board. Students fighting to understand complex ideas, studying to remember concepts, staying up at night to finish documents... I would bet large sums of money that few of these students would be able to accomplish what they do without the aid of their classmates. We are all sympathetic to each other. More importantly, we are compassionate, and seek to help others as well as ourselves. This network of help is universally beneficial, as each and every student gets more out of it then they put in.
Now, what about the rest of the world, those who are not members of our insular group? Well, they benefit too. The symbiotic growth produced by this system creates more intelligent, cooperative, and creative people, precisely the kind of person who can bring about real change in our world.
Theoretically, this would produce a sort of feedback loop, where a global community is created which constantly improves with each others help; However, this is a very small scale community, one small pixel in the global panorama. To really revolutionize the world, compassionate systems must replace exploitative systems, which only enriches one side of the community. In my opinion, the easiest places to start are our educational institutions.
-Pat.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
It's not about you!
Compassion. One word that affects people on so many different levels. Compassion, I find is a term we use to describe that special moment when we can genuinely place ourselves in another person's shoes, and for once not think about the words we think for the majority of a day (words such as: I, me, my...) . Its a way a way of creating a stronger community.
Think of how much more we would get done and how much more easier life would become if we all decided to take a moment and think of the motives of the other person, and realize that we're all humans, with thoughts and feelings, with ambitions and aspirations. If we understood each other to the best possible clarity, think of how smoothly we can combine our ideas and voices to make a difference, a change for the good.
Also ask of you to think for a moment about your biggest wants, the things you couldn't live without, the people you love and who are close to you and all the troubles in your life. Now think of a person you don't know that well and think of how they too have a life of their own, with people they love, things they couldn't live without and maybe even something going on that's giving them a hard time.
It shouldn't be so difficult then, for us humans to offer compassion, and treat ever body with respect, because we are all human (I know, finally someting new). I've learned in the past, that before I make a judgement about someone, I stop and think and try to see, not them in my world, but the world to their eyes.
sara.mina
Think of how much more we would get done and how much more easier life would become if we all decided to take a moment and think of the motives of the other person, and realize that we're all humans, with thoughts and feelings, with ambitions and aspirations. If we understood each other to the best possible clarity, think of how smoothly we can combine our ideas and voices to make a difference, a change for the good.
Also ask of you to think for a moment about your biggest wants, the things you couldn't live without, the people you love and who are close to you and all the troubles in your life. Now think of a person you don't know that well and think of how they too have a life of their own, with people they love, things they couldn't live without and maybe even something going on that's giving them a hard time.
It shouldn't be so difficult then, for us humans to offer compassion, and treat ever body with respect, because we are all human (I know, finally someting new). I've learned in the past, that before I make a judgement about someone, I stop and think and try to see, not them in my world, but the world to their eyes.
sara.mina
It's no Central Perk, but the server's nicer than Gunther.
Brownie points to anyone who got the Friends reference.
Last April, my sister and I went to run some errands. Being who we are, we ended up getting sidetracked and stopped to get dessert. I can never remember the name of this cafe, but it's this quaint little place near where I live. An elderly man was working alone that day, and he greeted us with the biggest smile. We knew it was his job to serve customers, but his enthusiasm was greatly appreciated.
This is what he brought us when the coffee was all ready to go:
(For those of you who don't get it, it says "Enjoy, you two". Don't worry, it took me a minute to understand, too.)
So, like I said, it's the little things that make my day.
Good night, and sweet dreams. :)
- F.
Last April, my sister and I went to run some errands. Being who we are, we ended up getting sidetracked and stopped to get dessert. I can never remember the name of this cafe, but it's this quaint little place near where I live. An elderly man was working alone that day, and he greeted us with the biggest smile. We knew it was his job to serve customers, but his enthusiasm was greatly appreciated.
This is what he brought us when the coffee was all ready to go:
(For those of you who don't get it, it says "Enjoy, you two". Don't worry, it took me a minute to understand, too.)
So, like I said, it's the little things that make my day.
Good night, and sweet dreams. :)
- F.
Of dictionaries and online culture.
I find that every time I'm asked to define something, even if it's what it means to me personally, I start off with a dictionary definition. I also find that countless other people do this, so we may as well just get it out of the way. Here's the dictionary.com definition of compassion:
Just to throw some things out there, in addition to the Day of Pink and the Golden Gate Bridge stories above, here are some movements (campaigns? Whatever floats your boat, really) that have really impacted me.
Operation Beautiful. This mission started out in June 2009, I believe. The original mission statement was "ending fat talk, one anonymous Post-It at a time." Basically, you take a post-it, write a feel-good message on it, and put it up on a bathroom mirror (but now it's moved on to library books, magazine covers, etc.). It really does help, because in today's world self-esteem is at an all-time low.
To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA is all about hope and love. According to the World Health Organization statistics on their website, 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Two in three of these people don't seek help - that's 81 million people right there (and these stats, to my knowledge, haven't been updated in a while). They embed the fact that you are not alone, that hope is real.
"The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change." (from the TWLOHA website.)
RUOK. This was started in Australia just last year, to bring down suicide rates. Their mandate is based off the belief that, while it may not fix everything, simply asking someone if they're okay when they don't seem to be can be helpful - and believe me, it quite literally saves lives.
Gives Me Hope. GMH isn't exactly a movement; rather, it's "Chicken Soup for the Soul - the 21st Century, Twitter-style version". The negative image of the world portrayed in the media irks me to no end. While the credibility of a website such as GMH is questionable, simply because there's no way of verifying the degree of truth in some of the posts, it still brings to light the fact that the world isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be.
Which brings me back to compassion. To me, compassion is a reminder that the world is a beautiful place, and we're all lucky to be part of it. We're all lucky to wake up in the morning to live to see another day, but not everyone is able to remember that all the time. On the days when you're aware of it, though, what's the harm in making sure your sunny disposition on life is spread around a little more?
So here's my compassionate act of the day: this is me reminding you that you are beautiful and loved, and that if things seem bad, they will get better.
Mucho love in your general direction,
F.
com·pas·sion
–noun
1. a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.To me personally, compassion lies in the little things in life. It can be something as small as smiling at a stranger when walking past them, or saying good morning with a smile instead of a groggy, noncommittal groan. It can have a result as big as the Day of Pink, or saving lives.
Just to throw some things out there, in addition to the Day of Pink and the Golden Gate Bridge stories above, here are some movements (campaigns? Whatever floats your boat, really) that have really impacted me.
Operation Beautiful. This mission started out in June 2009, I believe. The original mission statement was "ending fat talk, one anonymous Post-It at a time." Basically, you take a post-it, write a feel-good message on it, and put it up on a bathroom mirror (but now it's moved on to library books, magazine covers, etc.). It really does help, because in today's world self-esteem is at an all-time low.
To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA is all about hope and love. According to the World Health Organization statistics on their website, 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Two in three of these people don't seek help - that's 81 million people right there (and these stats, to my knowledge, haven't been updated in a while). They embed the fact that you are not alone, that hope is real.
"The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change." (from the TWLOHA website.)
RUOK. This was started in Australia just last year, to bring down suicide rates. Their mandate is based off the belief that, while it may not fix everything, simply asking someone if they're okay when they don't seem to be can be helpful - and believe me, it quite literally saves lives.
Gives Me Hope. GMH isn't exactly a movement; rather, it's "Chicken Soup for the Soul - the 21st Century, Twitter-style version". The negative image of the world portrayed in the media irks me to no end. While the credibility of a website such as GMH is questionable, simply because there's no way of verifying the degree of truth in some of the posts, it still brings to light the fact that the world isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be.
Which brings me back to compassion. To me, compassion is a reminder that the world is a beautiful place, and we're all lucky to be part of it. We're all lucky to wake up in the morning to live to see another day, but not everyone is able to remember that all the time. On the days when you're aware of it, though, what's the harm in making sure your sunny disposition on life is spread around a little more?
So here's my compassionate act of the day: this is me reminding you that you are beautiful and loved, and that if things seem bad, they will get better.
Mucho love in your general direction,
F.
compassion.
Surprisingly, there's nothing at the moment that is thoroughly stressing me out (besides the fact that I may or may not be legible to go to the TedX Conference at this point and time), but I will be storing away any personal frustrations on a mental shelf entitled, "Worry About Later". What I intend to do, for right now, is provide a definition for what I believe to be compassion through, none other than... POETIC FORM!Here it is ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy! (I also encourage you to write your OWN poems.)
Compassion.
The tint of his skin or the lilt of her voice,
Natural and unchangeable, not determined by choice.
Luxurious clothes or dirty tattered rags,
We are pre-disposed to give people many labels and tags.
There's a need to look beyond, and see deep inside,
What some decide to project is what others will hide.
The key to compassion is simple: it's understanding and caring.
A cheesy life lesson it seems, but it's all about sharing.
Not just items, or objects, or things,
But perspectives of the world and the happiness it brings.
Compassion is a decision, a declaration of sorts
To stop ourselves from saying judgemental, insensitive, or witty retorts.
Compassion is about treasuring individuals, difference, and acceptance,
Finding it in our hearts to eliminate resentment.
A compliment in the hallways or an encouraging smile,
The benefits are extraordinary, and always worthwhile.
So my challenge to you, fellow friends and peers,
Is to generate compassion and subsequent cheers.
Although hard at first is what it may seem,
Anything is possible if done as a team.
:) Cheesy, yes, I know. But I think you get the message.
Much love,
Sabrina. ♥
Compassion.
The tint of his skin or the lilt of her voice,
Natural and unchangeable, not determined by choice.
Luxurious clothes or dirty tattered rags,
We are pre-disposed to give people many labels and tags.
There's a need to look beyond, and see deep inside,
What some decide to project is what others will hide.
The key to compassion is simple: it's understanding and caring.
A cheesy life lesson it seems, but it's all about sharing.
Not just items, or objects, or things,
But perspectives of the world and the happiness it brings.
Compassion is a decision, a declaration of sorts
To stop ourselves from saying judgemental, insensitive, or witty retorts.
Compassion is about treasuring individuals, difference, and acceptance,
Finding it in our hearts to eliminate resentment.
A compliment in the hallways or an encouraging smile,
The benefits are extraordinary, and always worthwhile.
So my challenge to you, fellow friends and peers,
Is to generate compassion and subsequent cheers.
Although hard at first is what it may seem,
Anything is possible if done as a team.
:) Cheesy, yes, I know. But I think you get the message.
Much love,
Sabrina. ♥
Road Respect
A round of applause for F*! The blog is lovely.
I'm going to start off the sharing with something really simple. Driving is something that wreaks havoc with people's tempers, I've noticed. Bad days start out with a lot of traffic more often than not. So instead of centering my thoughts around my car and where I need to go and how fast I need to get there, today I thought about making everyone else's commute happier. It's so easy to turn road rage into road respect -- people have low expectations when it comes to other drivers. Surprise them! Let someone into your lane! Leave room for people to turn in bumper-to-bumper traffic! I've seen chain reactions set off dozens of times. Someone would do something nice for me, and in turn I'd be reminded to do something nice for someone else.
Compassion is something a lot of people forget about while they're in the driver's seat, me included... but today I delayed my trip by thirty seconds to let a school bus take a left turn in busy traffic, and I always slowed down to let people in.
-- J
*It's not as catchy-sounding as when Gossip Girl says it. But I guess initials work.
I'm going to start off the sharing with something really simple. Driving is something that wreaks havoc with people's tempers, I've noticed. Bad days start out with a lot of traffic more often than not. So instead of centering my thoughts around my car and where I need to go and how fast I need to get there, today I thought about making everyone else's commute happier. It's so easy to turn road rage into road respect -- people have low expectations when it comes to other drivers. Surprise them! Let someone into your lane! Leave room for people to turn in bumper-to-bumper traffic! I've seen chain reactions set off dozens of times. Someone would do something nice for me, and in turn I'd be reminded to do something nice for someone else.
Compassion is something a lot of people forget about while they're in the driver's seat, me included... but today I delayed my trip by thirty seconds to let a school bus take a left turn in busy traffic, and I always slowed down to let people in.
-- J
*It's not as catchy-sounding as when Gossip Girl says it. But I guess initials work.
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