  Spiritual
This week: A Day of Compassion Edited by: Kit  
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Can you live as compassionately as possible for 24 hours? If so, come and join us!
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about acts of compassion, and what you can do to make a positive difference.
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In 2013, more than 250,000 students from some 200 different countries took part in Wesleyan University's Social Psychology MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) hosted by Coursera. For one very special assignment, the students were asked to spend 24 hours living as compassionately as possible, and then to analyze the effect this had on themselves as well as on others. The results were pretty amazing . One lady spent her day trying to tackle abuse in her local community. Another lady took to the streets carrying a sign that asked people how she could help them. Several people approached her, needing someone to talk with, and she ended up saving someone's marriage. A man raised funds for charity by doing as many push-ups as he could. And yet another lady reunited a homeless man, who had felt too ashamed to contact his family, with his overjoyed mother.
These are just a few examples of the compassion shown by those who took part. A waitress noted the difference it made when she smiled at her customers. Although she hadn't intended on the result, she saw a big rise in the tips she received. It's such a small thing, a smile, yet so welcome and it can make a difference. It may, after all, be the only kind gesture a person has received that day.
This year, on the 15th of August, there will be a second Day of Compassion. This time, I am a student of the course, and will, therefore, be taking part. Trying to actively be compassionate every minute for 24 hours won't be easy, and I am not yet certain what difference I can make to other people's lives, but it will be interesting. I'd like to think of myself as a nice person, but I don't spend every minute of every day analyzing my actions. When I'm cooking, or doing the dishes, or watching a movie, or browsing around online, I'm either focused on the current activity, or I'm daydreaming, or thinking about what else I need to do. Sometimes I'm so wrapped up in what I am doing that the hours can fly by. Sometimes I'm a bit bored, or tired, and just randomly watching cute animal videos on Youtube or wherever I happen to end up.
The thing is, the world is a pretty depressing place at the moment. War, conflict, suffering... there are days when I cannot bring myself to check up on the news, because it makes me feel bad, and helpless to do anything about it. Watching cat videos is easier. So is doing the dishes, and that's definitely not my favorite household chore!
Of course, we cannot actively and deliberately be compassionate every minute of every day. Even accounting for sleep, opening ourselves up to all the suffering that goes on around the planet would leave us feeling overwhelmed and possibly make us (or at least me) hide under the bed, feeling unable to cope. We have to be compassionate towards ourselves as well.
That doesn't mean that a Day of Compassion isn't a good idea. To try to be the best person we can be, and give what we can of ourselves to others, can be a positive learning experience. It can help us increase our confidence and inspire us to do good in the future. It can also be a good way to practice our faith and help us along our spiritual journey.
I live with mental health problems – generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia – and it's all too easy to allow these problems to rule my life. The Day of Compassion is inspiring me to stop looking at all the obstacles in my path, and to move beyond them; to actively consider other people's needs and what I can do to make a difference. It's giving me a well-needed nudge to get out there and stop trapping myself within the confined space of my mind.
I won't be able to perform miracles. Perhaps I can tidy my elderly neighbour's garden, or pick up litter to make my local community look nice. Perhaps I can carry out some acts of kindness online. Or, perhaps, I can bring myself to forgive some people who have wronged me. Nobody is perfect, after all. I'm not, and I shouldn't expect everyone else to be. It may well be that I will do all of those. There are a lot of hours in one day.
Although it's unlikely that many of you are students on the same course, I would like to invite you to join me. It doesn't have to be on the 15th, though it would be fun if we were all taking part together. A Day of Compassion needn't be limited to an online course. The more acts of compassion, the merrier.
If you decide to give it a go, it would be great if you could write to this newsletter and share your experiences. And though I'm sure that nobody will participate just to receive a reward, I may just have some Merit Badges to share.
I hope you have a wonderful week 
kittiara
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions and suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
kdelightful  - Thank You for sharing in this newsletter in regards to trust. I must say, I am with you in regards to handling trust. This newsletter is very inspiring and profound in words that right now I cannot even describe. I believe that trust is the hardest to gain and receive. We have all been hurt by the misleading or misrepresentation of trust and it sometimes question our judgment. However, it builds us up for stronger and bigger battles to face. It also brings to us more wisdom and stronger character.
Thank you for the kind words  . I do agree with you. Everything in life is a lesson. And as we experience, and stumble, and get up and dust ourselves off again, we learn and gain wisdom and strength. Even if, at times, we do not realize what we have learned, or fully understand it.
~~~
katesthename - It says somewhere in Scripture not to trust the one you lie with. It's not referring to your spouse, but yourself. Don't trust even yourself. Trust only in Papa God.
I've definitely learned that the mind can be a tricky thing, so I know that we have to keep an eye on ourselves and our actions!
~~~
Quick-Quill  - "Who can you trust?" is a very good theme to build a plot on. It can go anywhere your characters do. When everyone seems to have your best interest at heart, you have this "feeling" all is not what it seems, where do you go for help? for the truth? I read a story by Jane Kirkpatrick. A woman deceives the elite by telling them her health "Spa" will give them new life. The entire time she is starving them and getting them to sign over their assets to her. If one dies she does the autopsy. Conflict of interest? You bet. This was a true happening in Washington state. It made a great story.
That sounds like a very interesting story, thank you! I will have to check it out. I sure know that feeling that all is not as it seems!
~~~
Lynda Miller  - This column was wonderful. I really enjoyed reading about trust and those we can and cannot trust. Thank you
Lynda with a Y
Thank you so much, Lynda!
~~~
Elfin Dragon-finally published  - You stated.."If someone born without sight were asked to picture a gold mountain, this person will likely be able to picture a mountain, but could he truly know what gold is like without ever having seen gold? Could a person who has never heard music imagine a piece by Beethoven?"
And yet Beethoven himself wrote the majority of his pieces when he was deaf and conducted the orchestra. He could not hear the music, except for what (I would suppose) he imagined. There is a movie titled "Heaven is Real" of a young boy who died for a few minutes, went to heaven, and returned. He could describe it in detail and his family had to trust his experience was real. We have all had dreams of certain things, say that mountain of gold, where we've never seen it before, never known what color it was, looked like, or could say what it was; yet when presented with it we could say "yes, that's what it is."
I've seen blind people be able to describe items, deaf people describe sounds; the world is full of amazing people and things.
In regards to Epicurius' Riddle...He did forget the one major factor in which God relayed to us. The choices of men/women. He may be "all knowing" but it doesn't change a choice we may or may not make. And when you throw a fallen angel into the mix, well anything is possible. Free choice can be the downfall of anyone.
You got me! The Beethoven example was a bad one . You are right, of course. I've read up on such experiences as you describe, and they are pretty amazing. And my dreams can be filled with things I've never before experienced.
As for free will, yes, it's a tricky one. I sometimes wonder how free we really are, taking into consideration the influences of our societies, the media, our education, our work, and so on. So much of what we know is taught to us by others. The way we think is influenced by others. So are our actions. But, I guess that's a different topic!
~~~
Elfin Dragon-finally published - It's interesting this particular newsletter is about trust. I'm currently living in a community house with 9 other women where trust can be a serious issue. I moved in 3 months ago and learned quickly there was thieving going on. It's difficult to find trust when you're not sure who's the thief and who's not. But God has set someone there I can commune with, and many are good enough to converse and enjoy at least some company. So in the end, at least some trust is given.
That does sound like a difficult situation. I hope that it gets resolved, and that you will soon feel at home.
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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Spiritual: August 13, 2014 Issue [#6491]
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