Yesterday I visited my great-grandfather in the assisted living home where he moved nine months ago. He’s 95, and was living on his own, despite macular degeneration and hearing loss, until he was in a car accident last summer. Now, even though he has recovered from his injuries sustained in the accident, life has gotten exponentially more difficult and his quality of life has dropped enormously. Just the act of getting from his wheelchair to a lying down position on his bed drains him almost entirely of energy; his mind is as sharp as ever though, he’s always telling us stories. But life has essentially become a waiting room. Before we left yesterday, after we said goodbye, he broke down, deploring why God was penalizing him making him live like this. He just wanted to go home and see his wife—she passed away five years ago. They were married for over 70 years.  Seeing him like that breaks my heart. 

In 2008 there were 441,855 robberies reported in the United States. I was one of that number.

“Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle”.

This quote has been attributed to many authors, from Plato to Billie Holiday. Whoever said it, the take home message is one of utmost importance, but is also one that is scarcely found in society today. Like many others, I grew up around the “Golden Rule." But I think that only scratches the surface of what it means to be kind. It is not enough to show kindness to someone because you, too, wish to be treated kindly; this quote speaks to our everyday actions and encounters, and most importantly it demonstrates compassion.

  Last night (July 29, 2010) the PBS NewsHour  ran a story that appeared earlier in the month on Religion and Ethics Weekly televion program. Both programs broadcast a 7 minute video on Abraham Verghese MD (shown here), the Indian doctor who grew up in Ethiopia, and now is famous for promoting bedside medicine and for writing books, the latest one the bestseller Cutting for Stone.

In the article, Watering the Seeds of Joy, Cheri Maples addresses how participation in certain activities can bring us increased joy and mindfulness.  “We all should think about what activities bring us in touch with the tenderness and mystery of life so that you fall into a space of joy and gratitude when participating in those activities,” Maples wrote. Many people have hobbies that define them. Some even border on obsession.

Fishing is an activity that has brought me increased happiness with every cast.  But the joy of fishing is not about catching fish.  It is about everything else — the shore, equipment, motion, morning, quiet, and most of all the water.  Norman Maclean captured the allure of water in the last sentence of his fly-fishing masterpiece, A River Runs Through It.  “I am haunted by waters,” Maclean wrote.  Whether water flows, sits still, or breaks over a rocky shore, it mesmerizes any true fisherman. For me fishing is neither a hobby nor an obsession, but a lifestyle.

In my last blog I talked about compassion in the sport of soccer, and about a tournament where young people play games without a referee. While thinking more about these non-officiated games and sporting events in general, I can't help but wonder, is there a place for compassion in competition?

Recently, I wrote a discussion post about my experiences with cystic fibrosis. I concluded that I prefer to say I am living with the CF rather than fighting it. This perspective allows me to accept my disease, along with its advantages and disadvantages, making me a happier person. 

 The benefits of acceptance are not unique to cystic fibrosis.  Acceptance can and should be applied to many different illnesses and traumatic experiences. Many people commit every part of themselves to fighting off disease or trauma.  Often this blind fight results in denial and a lack of healing. 

While the majority of the United States was celebrating Independence Day Weekend, 1350 individuals gathered in Washington D.C. for the annual The Compassionate Friends (TCF) National Conference.

I play a lot of soccer, so guess what has been on my mind nonstop for the last few months: the World Cup. For those who aren't as fanatical as I am, the World Cup is to soccer what the Super Bowl is to (American) football, only much bigger and on an international scale. It is sponsored by the Federation Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA. Now I'm sure the question is, what does soccer possibly have to do with compassion? Well, I'll tell you.

FIFA has created a program called Football for Hope, which uses soccer as a vehicle to spread compassion and social development. Of the many sectors of this program, one of the most compassionate, and probably the most fun, is the Football for Hope Festival. This international event takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, one of the main sites of the 2010 World Cup. Young boys and girls from disadvantaged places all over the world come together not only to celebrate soccer, but to discuss social issues like homelessness and HIV/AIDS. These young people are members of organizations back home that deal with these issues, and this event brings them all together to exchange ideas and share experiences. In addition to meaningful discussions the boys and girls form teams and participate in a soccer tournament, going on right now (July 4 - 10), which is not officiated by referees in order to encourage open communication.