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Thu Jan 31, 2013, 11:16 PM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

Compassion

I think we all could use more compassion in this day and age.

Don't stop fighting for what you believe in, but don't let the bad shit in the world get to you.

Don't stop providing a voice for the voiceless, but be a voice of empowerment and hope, not of fear and hatred.

Don't stop seeing the world for what it can be, but accept that not everything is in one person's control-far from it.

And for humanity's sake, be compassionate and empathetic. Listen those in your lives who you may not have listened to in the past, for whatever reason. That doesn't mean you have to agree with them, of course, but try to see things from their perspective.

We're all in this together, Democrats, progressives, and liberals. I know we don't always agree, but for the love of everything beautiful....we gotta stick together. When we unite in working together, when we stand up for what we believe in, and when we show the world that we mean what we believe, and live it...well, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

It's up to us.

Sincerely,

A Young Democrat from California

17 replies, 650 views

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Replies to this discussion thread

17 replies	Author	Time	Post
Compassion (Original post)	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	OP
+Infinity.	JaneyVee	Jan 2013	#1
Thanks	YoungDemCA	Jan 2013	#2
Really thoughtful post, YoungD. Thank you! nt	Mnemosyne	Feb 2013	#3
You're welcome!	YoungDemCA	Feb 2013	#4
Very nice! Thanks for the reminder.	DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav	Feb 2013	#5
Very good post!	burrowowl	Feb 2013	#6
Self-compassion	tama	Feb 2013	#7
Good find!	YoungDemCA	Feb 2013	#8
And more	tama	Feb 2013	#11
I Wish I Could Shake Your Hand In Person	cer7711	Feb 2013	#9
Thanks!	YoungDemCA	Feb 2013	#10
Indeed We Will!	cer7711	Feb 2013	#14
Very well said!	retrogal	Feb 2013	#12
Good on you. I think you have it figured out.....	wandy	Feb 2013	#13
Thank you!	YoungDemCA	Feb 2013	#16
Very well said.	HappyMe	Feb 2013	#15
You're singing my song	OneGrassRoot	Feb 2013	#17

Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Thu Jan 31, 2013, 11:18 PM

JaneyVee (3,827 posts)

1. +Infinity.

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Response to JaneyVee (Reply #1)

Thu Jan 31, 2013, 11:23 PM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

2. Thanks

Just trying to do something positive.

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 01:04 AM

Mnemosyne (16,180 posts)

3. Really thoughtful post, YoungD. Thank you! nt

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Response to Mnemosyne (Reply #3)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 01:41 AM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

4. You're welcome!

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 01:44 AM

DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav (408 posts)

5. Very nice! Thanks for the reminder.

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 01:48 AM

burrowowl (8,954 posts)

6. Very good post!

Cheers yougn'un from an old fart!

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 01:55 AM

tama (9,137 posts)

7. Self-compassion

Test your self-compassion level:
http://www.self-compassion.org/test-your-self-compassion-level.html

Note that this is NOT a personality test. Of course, as we are used to compare ourselves with others, we can start from thinking, that if I score high on self-compassion level, I'm better than others, whoopee, suck that suckers! Or if I score low, I'm just lowly worm with no self-worth and no worth as human being, so I'll go buy more depression pills from Big Pharma or a gun to shoot my self-hating brains out...

We can let go of that thought, and just take the test as discussion with ourselves, about our current state of mind and habitual attitudes. It's just a test of me with myself at this moment. Taking the test hour or day or week later, I can and may answer differently. This is not my personality, just my current state of mind and how I self-reflect at this moment.

Couple more links:

Emory university Cognitive-Based Compassion Training:
http://tibet.emory.edu/research/index.html

Meditations, first that google popped up:
http://www.mindfulselfcompassion.org/meditations_downloads.php

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Response to tama (Reply #7)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:03 AM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

8. Good find!

Thanks!

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Response to YoungDemCA (Reply #8)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:26 AM

tama (9,137 posts)

11. And more

http://www.democraticunderground.com/122815044

And much more. I became aware of this following the discussions of Western scientist with Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhists:
http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts/post/273-mind-and-life-xxvi-mind-brain-and-matter---critical-conversations-between-buddhist-thought-and-science/4306

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:10 AM

cer7711 (123 posts)

9. I Wish I Could Shake Your Hand In Person

Last edited Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:13 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Great post, YoungDemCA! You captured the spirit of what an informed, enlightened humanism--and small "d" democratic politics--should be.

And might I add: Bitter invective, snarky oneupmanship and condescending rhetorical cut-downs on behalf of certain hot-button issues aren't half as amusing or persuasive as some seem to think they are. Go easy on your own: there is room for honest disagreement, intelligent debate and heart-felt differences amongst us liberals and leftists. Every minor disagreement and quibble over semantics, political philosophy or policy need not become a knock-down, drag-out ideological fight. That only exhausts and wastes collective energy better channeled toward opposing the hate-mongering, environment-raping, war-profiteering reactionary right.

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Response to cer7711 (Reply #9)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:16 AM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

10. Thanks!

Regarding humanism-I am personally religious, but I realize that not everyone here is, so I tried to make my message as broad and inclusive as possible.

We will stick together, friends!

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Response to YoungDemCA (Reply #10)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 09:58 AM

cer7711 (123 posts)

14. Indeed We Will!

I respect the man or woman who is authentically kind, empathetic, compassionate, fair-minded, intellectually curious, erotically charged, decent and wise.

I am not anti-religious; I am anti- "I'll-force-you-to-profess-to-believe-what-I-want-you-to-believe". I loathe all authoritarian doctrine and dogma, dishonest speech and cant--whether it comes from religious or irreligious forces.

We need more like you, in the movement and the world!

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:33 AM

retrogal (55 posts)

12. Very well said!

Thank you for your post.

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 03:50 AM

wandy (1,532 posts)

13. Good on you. I think you have it figured out.....

From time to time you may find it difficult to hold to those beliefs. Then and again, when you become an OldDem, you just might find that it was worth the effort.

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Response to wandy (Reply #13)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 12:18 PM

YoungDemCA (900 posts)

16. Thank you!

Yeah, it ain't always easy. That's why regular reminders of where we stand are so important.

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 10:09 AM

HappyMe (11,844 posts)

15. Very well said.

An important reminder.

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Response to YoungDemCA (Original post)

Fri Feb 1, 2013, 12:27 PM

OneGrassRoot (18,783 posts)

17. You're singing my song

I invite you to check out Wishadoo, join us, and perhaps consider blogging there about how you envision putting compassion into action in practical ways, especially amongst younger people.

Great post. Thank you.

To see an infographic which summarizes the existing tools and goals of Wishadoo!, please CLICK HERE (then click again to enlarge).

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