In 2002 I travelled to India and Nepal to study Buddhism. I began with an organized pilgrimage called “Chasing Buddha” and ended up at a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal called Kopan. The two month trip was a Buddhism intensive, immersion experience. A box of journals, books and various other articles from the trip had been packed away unopened until a few weeks ago when my parents finally cleared everything out of storage before moving across the country. 

When thinking of Compassion, what comes to mind? In "Compassionate Societies" case, it is the ending of suffering worldwide. But how can just one person make a difference in this world? By changing and affecting those around them with small acts of compassion that can be demonstrated in their every day lives. The act of 'compassion' does not necessarily have to be a large, quantitative lump some of money or even donating time.

Quote of the month: Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity. It is through compassion that a person achieves the highest peak and deepest reach in his or her search for self-fulfillment.
-Arthur Jersild.

Some "gifts" we can offer to others include... love, encouragement, joy and the gift of your time. The "gift" I want to focus on now is compassion. The quote above suggests that compassion is the peak of emotional maturity and of self-fulfillment. I won't suggest that it is always easy.... but the reward can be great.

As the obesity epidemic hit America a couple decades ago, more research was being done in laboratories and studies across the nation. More and more money is being put into these studies in an attempt to determine the main causes that lead to obesity in our society.

Many people began taking an individual role and started seeking dietitians and nutritionists to help them adjust their diet regimen, which also coincided with a rise in the number of gym or fitness center memberships nationwide. The public appeared to be actively seeking ways to reduce their weight and move towards a healthy lifestyle. 

Some people might not think that food and nutrition are paths towards compassionate acts. However, I have found that this is quite the opposite.

I recently started reading a text called Human Nutrition in the Developing World, by Michael C. Latham, professor of International Nutrition at Cornell University in New York. The published work discusses many of the nutritional problems that affect millions, if not billions, of people every day. The book also describes potential solutions for this suffering and ways to get involved.

 

Karen Armstrong’s article written in September of 2010 confronts the issue of hatred and intolerance towards Muslims after the 9/11 attacks. She writes, “In the United States, we have witnessed an upsurge of anti-Muslim feeling that violates the core values of that nation.” She points out that such religious intolerance threatens society as a whole, “If we want to preserve our humanity, we must make the compassionate voice of religion and morality a vibrant and dynamic force in our polarized world. We can no longer afford the barbarism of hatred, contempt and disgust.”

 

When I first came to the University of Minnesota my freshmen year, I was heavily overweight and did not exercise regularly. Soon after, I began to take initiative of my own life and practiced healthy eating and fitness to improve my own wellness. Soon, I became more fit and participated in more activities around campus, due to higher self-esteem and physical energy.

I found that my personal story of changing my overall health became an inspirational tale of friends and family close to me and a tool to guide their own fitness regimen. After knowing that my own actions inspired other people, I began to help those around me who were looking to improve their own exercise and diet. These steps inadvertently led me to switching my major to Nutrition with a focus in Dietetics.  

 

                                                    In my opinion, small acts of compassion can alleviate some suffering but ultimately do not contribute to a lasting compassionate society. Compassion is not a new or recent concept. Suffering seems to grow exponentially in proportion to population and throughout history acts of cruelty and abuse seem to match acts of kindness and overwhelm them. Moreover, I believe that there is no amount of alms giving, volunteering, charity work or tree saving that’s going to change the momentum of our self-centered society. The dominant social paradigm reinforces competition and individualism which is reflected on an individual level thus selfishness and disregard for the welfare of others are values that are rewarded. In our society a gain for one often means a loss or less for another. 

In a stimulating blog entry entitled "The Self Compassion Diet", McKinensie Lode argued for self-compassion as a new dietary protection against over eating. I want to reinforce her claim but add a several points to embellish this approach. First, self-compassion when combined with mindfulness (or conscious living) becomes doubly powerful in diet and eating. For instance, beginning a meal by quietly focusing upon your breathing and emptying your mind of extraneous thoughts, helps you to be totally conscious of your food, its taste and texture, and how your body reacts to it.