Honor the spirit… Acts of kindness… Day of Compassion

Part I. Participate in your own Day of Compassion

What is compassion?

Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it

Examples of COMPASSION

1. 1. He felt compassion for the lost child.
   2. She shows compassion to the sick.
   3. She had the compassion to offer help when it was needed most.

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Directions. Your challenge will be to see if you can live one day as compassionately as possible. In other words, for a full 24-hour period do your best to help others in need, to be considerate and respectful, and to avoid causing harm to people, animals, and the environment.

When carrying out this assignment, leave no behavior unexamined—from watching TV to eating lunch to decisions about giving time to others. That is, don’t limit yourself to smiling at a stranger or petting a lonely dog; strive for the greatest impact and deepest level of compassion without being phony or insincere. It is up to you to define what compassion is and to decide how best to realize it. You have many choices to show compassion. It doesn’t have to be a big thing.

EXAMPLE: Some things you can do:

• • • Show compassion toward animals…have a meatless day
    • Show compassion toward the environment, use less water, bike or walk or take the bus instead of driving.
    • Recycle, use less electricity, turn off lights
    • Give to a charity or volunteer an hour or two or more
    • Be kind to others, smile, say hi
    • Help the elderly
    • Help someone study
    • Buy a less fortunate person lunch
    • Make contact with family, tell them you care
    • Give someone your parking space
    • Be kind to other students and/or teachers
    • Thank someone for what they do, let them know they are appreciated
    • Don’t fight with anyone, all day…strive to understand other viewpoints and have less anger
    • Really listen to someone

Optional Video for suggestions:40 Acts of Compassion (Links to an external site.)

If you are already quite compassionate, try being compassionate toward groups you don’t often focus on, and even if your actions don’t differ much from how you normally behave, be sure to carefully observe and analyze what happens during the experience. If outside events make it difficult for you to participate, or if you feel dissatisfied with your performance, feel free to repeat the exercise on a later day.

Part II. Write About Your Experience

Write a 2-page, double spaced reflection of your experience through your day of compassion.

Your submission must address all of the following:

• • • How did you define compassion, and who were the recipients of your efforts?

• • • If your behavior was different than normal, which person did you like more: the “Day of Compassion you” or the “normal you”? If you prefer the “Day of Compassion you,” what are the psychological factors that prevent this “you” from coming out?

• • • What are the costs and benefits of behaving compassionately? In your view, do the benefits outweigh the costs?

• • • How did others respond to your compassion? Do you think they noticed a difference in your behavior?

• • • If you were to predict your behavior one month from now, do you think it will be changed as a result of participating in the Day of Compassion?

Rubric

Day of Compassion

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