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. 

I've written about Students Today Leaders Forever a bit before, and while working with STLF and going on Pay It Forward Tours with college and high school students I have had the chance to work with amazing organizations around the country. In his blog Compassion Through Service, Tyler mentioned that individuals can change lives working only 1 to 2 hours per week.

Over the past four years, I have been a part of a group called Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF for short). My involvement with STLF has shaped my college experience and had a profound effect on the way I live my life. STLF is working to create a generation of servant leaders, and I am proud to be a part of this movement. I would like to share a video with you that explains a little about who we are, what we do, and why we do it.

;feature=relmfu

As a student, it may seem sometimes difficult to donate spare time for work such as charities or community service. If I am not in class, I am studying. If I am not studying, I am at the Recreational Center working to stay fit. If I am not exercising, I am at one of my two jobs. Last, if I am not working, I am catching up on sleep.

As true as this may be for many of us, there are always ways to get involved and share your compassion with others who need it. Many people think that it would not be worth the effort if they can only afford to participate in 1-2 hours per week in service work. On the contrary, those 1-2 hours are all it takes to help change someone’s life.

The most important aspect of compassion is that it is not enough to simply 'be' compassionate; you must act on your feelings as well as beliefs. Our every day lives provide us with new and unique opportunities and outlets for expressing what we feel. Citizens in our society are lucky to live in a democracy that allows us, as individuals, to speak out and rally for what we truly believe in. 

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.

Self compassion is often mistaken for self esteem or even self pity.  However, it is much more than that and can have many great benefits to your life.  The golden rule, we have heard it all our lives and now it is time we place it upon ourselves.  Self compassion comes from treating yourself as you would a loved one or someone else you care about. As you would wish the best for them, you should also wish the best for yourself.  Leaving behind all judgements of yourself and others and embracing that we are all human and are allowed mistakes.  Self compassion can be rewarding in obvious ways including happiness, increased emotional balance, opening of our hearts and minds, but also some unexpected benefits as well.  I found out about the new book, pictured on the left. called The Self-Compassion Diet, from a Fox News article.  
Jean Fain, author of The Self-Compassion Diet and a therapist affiliated with Harvard,  says,"when you treat yourself compassionately you are more apt to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.  Move when you're energized and rest when you're tired.  Do that and you will lose weight naturally."  Her book and advice is based on scientifically proven theories, one of which, is that giving yourself a break when it comes to diets is the key to success. 

In order to feel self compassion we must first learn to empathize with those around us.  Then learning to care for ourselves in the same manner promoting both our physical and mental health and well being.  Jean Fain's book provides guidance on how to become more self compassionate and teaches how to improve your eating habits. This will in turn promote your self compassion and health at the same time.  It is also said that people who are more self compassionate are more likely to exercise, increasing physical well being and all the positive feelings that come with it.