Let's change the world. I mean, really. The basic fundamental principals of empathy and compassion are the key ingredients for the desperately needed healing of this broken world. Let's take a moment to define those terms, just to be clear. Empathy, according to Websters Dictionary, is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Compassion's definition is, according again to Websters Dictionary, sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others. Let that sink in. Aside from the fact that I don't particularly like the exact wording of those definitions, the meanings are still relevant and applicable to this discussion. Let's move on then.
When you think about your life, sitting in your home in front of your computer, it's really easy to generalize your experience and lifestyle to others, isn't it? Most people have computers, homes and the ability to satisfy their curiosity, right? WRONG. Those are (unfortunately) luxuries, not givens, and we've got to grasp that as reality. I'm talking about basics here, food, shelter and the like. A simplistic description for such a huge concept, but you catch my drift. In other parts of the world, "the need" is vast and incomprehensible. Like a virus, real need is spreading rapidly through our society too. It's easy to live separated from that fact. There are a fair share of those who have no idea what it's like to need, really need. I feel very strongly that this is the reason Washington is so disconnected and ignorant of it's (growing) constituency. Tavis Smily recently gave commentary on the CBS new Sunday Morning show, and said something like, and I paraphrase, those in poverty do not have a powerful lobby in Washington to represent them. Ah, yea, for real. Now, I don't care what your political affiliation is, and I'm not trying to talk you into leaning to the right or left. I'm simply asking you to dig deep down and think about the human feelings of hunger for something as basic as food, and not only your hunger, but then that of your children's...and then really think about how it would feel to be powerless to remedy it. Ask the questions. For starters one like, "Why does wealth and "having" lie narrowly with between 1-3% of the US population while the rest are struggling?" Empathy and compassion my friends, which is another way of saying, we need to do unto others, and level the playing field so we can all harvest it.
