It seems like waking up each morning, I increasingly find myself in a world that I hardly recognize. The effort to promote and portray positivity seems to take far more effort than in years past. However, the desire to live in a world full of caring and compassion for our fellow person remains as strong as ever. As I try to make sense of it all, I find myself increasingly struggling to understand why each day brings about another story of violence, hatred, suppression, regression and certainly failing compassion. I wonder if I have entered this alternate reality where me is always first, we seems to not exist, and they is always at the forefront of blame. I then have to remind myself that the best that I can do is take care of my part of the world and live the life that I need to live to set the example that many others need. It’s not easy.

When you have an innate compassion for people, there is a natural tendency to want to avoid conflict. “Why can’t we all just get along” becomes a constant refrain in your head, while the brain tells you that as long as there is a desire for power, money and position, the likelihood of that ever coming to reality is practically nonexistent. From the beginning of time, the desire to have more than we need, have power over those who do not, and advancing ourselves by whatever means possible, has been ingrained in so many societies. So much so, that we often forget our true purpose for why we are here and the responsibility we have to make the world better, not only for ourselves, but also for those around us who may be less fortunate.

There are times when not caring would be so much easier. Looking out for only one’s self and not caring what is happening in and to the rest of the world, would certainly be the easy way out. However, unless we as the people of a common society take the stand that is necessary to make the world a better place, and leave it a little better off than we found it, then the hope of a better world truly is hopeless. When we stop putting “me” first and focus on the needs of the collective “we”, it is only then that we plant the seeds that are necessary to achieve a desirable society that cares about the whole rather than the few.

Politics, greed and the need for power have replaced compassion, caring and the desire for peace. Failing to focus on that which benefits all people rather than the few, robs us of the chance to live in a world where we are able to focus on the good, rather than trying to survive the bad. At the end of the day, it all begins with each and every one of us. It requires us to do our part to enact change, provide the examples of caring and decency, and to live a life that serves as an example for those that follow us. When rooted in everything we do, compassion has a unique and powerful way for taking hold and spreading. We have proven that time and time again. It is within the truth of compassion and caring that we have our best chance of living in a desirable world that we all deserve.