1. “Life’s most urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

2. What is it? The desire to help when a need is discovered: caring for others. Consciousness and caring about others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

3. Related Words empathy esteem caring benevolence support concern kindness giving consideration sympathetic

4. Practical Applications of Compassion Giving to others who are less fortunate Willingness to share another person’s pain or joy Realizing that careless or intentional injury to another is unacceptable Thinking of another person’s feelings Being kind even when others are not

5. Including those who are less skillful in group activities Treating others as you would like to be treated Understanding cultural differences Understanding that feelings are natural and healthy its how we act upon these feelings that can hurt us and others

6. Hints For Developing Compassion By acting for another’s highest good we develop compassion. We are actually benefiting ourselves by caring because our mind is peaceful and our body feels energized. Adopt a positive attitude with the task at hand. A positive mental attitude energizes our body for action.

8. Let’s Think About it! “Compassion is putting my friends and neighbors before myself.” “Compassion, I think, is what it feels like to walk in someone’s shoes.” “It’s like being unselfish and energetic and hopeful, all at the same time.” “Compassion means helping my Mom, even when I don’t feel like it.”

9. “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver, American Scientist

11. “A compliment is verbal sunshine.” “In helping others, we help ourselves; whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” “Always try to be a little kinder than necessary.” “Helping others makes our heart strong.” Making Positive Choices

12. Once upon a time, a small bird named Tasoo lived in a vast jungle. One hot summer day, a terrible wildfire erupted and the flames devoured many trees and animals living in the jungle. Other birds flew high into the sky and far away to safety, but Tasoo couldn’t bear to leave her precious jungle home to burn. A Fable to Ponder The Bird and the Wildfire

13. Day and night, she flew with all her might back and forth to the river, filling her tiny beak with water to drop on the raging fires. Tasoo’s rare heart of courage and unshakable determination moved the heavens to shed tears, and a great rain poured down upon the jungle, extinguishing the flames. And so it is that even the smallest actions of a determined spirit can change the world.

15. “Use your special abilities to help other people, make yourself necessary to somebody, and live to make the world less difficult for each other.”