Practice: Just Like Me
Practice democracy with this exercise designed to focus on our commonality, our unity, which is foundational to finding ways to reach across real and imagined divides.
Practice: Overcoming Cruelty with Love and Compassion
If only we can overcome cruelty, to human and animal, with love and compassion we shall stand at the threshold of a new era in human moral and spiritual evolution—and realize, at last, our most unique quality: humanity. —Jane Goodall
Overcoming cruelty means living our lives consciously, aware of how our behaviors impact other sentient beings around the globe. The choices we make each day—how we interact with people and animals, what we consume, whether we make time to connect with ourselves and others—have far-reaching impact.
Practice: Transforming an Enemy to a Friend
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend. We never get rid of an enemy by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy by getting rid of enmity. By its very nature, hate destroys and tears down; by its very nature, love creates and builds up. –-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Practice: Show Simple Affection
Do you shy away from hugging family or friends? From putting an arm around someone's shoulder or showing affection to your husband, wife or partner in front of your children? Many of us like to receive affection. A hug, a pat on the back, a smile and squeeze of a hand can generate good feelings. Still, social conventions and fear of what people may think can stop us from expressing our feelings in simple physical gestures.
Over the next month, try showing more affection to your family and friends.
The Wisdom of Cherishing Sentient Beings Everywhere
Jacques Verduin is a subject matter expert on mindfulness, restorative justice, emotional intelligence, and transforming violence.
Deconstructing Our Culture of Violence
Jacques Verduin is a subject matter expert on mindfulness, restorative justice, emotional intelligence, and transforming violence. A father, community organizer, and teacher, he is the founder of GRIP (Guiding Rage Into Power), which helps prisoners and challenged youth create the personal and systemic change to transform violence and suffering into opportunities for learning and healing. In this first of two posts, Jacques shares insights about the roots of violence in our culture.
Practice: Send Love Out to the World
Generosity of spirit and love is as important as being generous with material things. But this practice can be lost in the day-to-day busyness of our lives. Are you fortunate enough to be loved by many in your life? Are you in a special relationship? Do you have children, parents, grandparents, or a relative or friend whose love makes a big difference in your life? Wouldn't that love you feel be a great gift to share with others? There are many for whom family gatherings, birthday parties, special celebrations with friends, and other occasions of the heart are difficult times.
Practice: Planning Gratitude
Create a Gratitude Calendar in your datebook, email program, online calendar, social media profile, etc., and use it to remind yourself to say blessings. You might have a different focus each month:
Practice: Visualize Forgiveness
It can be useful to rehearse an act of forgiveness by practicing visualization. This exercise is adapted from Robin Casarjian's Forgiveness: A Bold Choice for a Peaceful Heart. Take a few deep, relaxing breaths. Bring to mind a person with whom you are in conflict. Recall what the real issues behind this conflict are for you. Recall what you are feeling about this person. Recall what you feel is still workable for you in this relationship. Breathe in and feel the wholeness within your own being.
Practice: Journaling
This is one of the most popular and accessible personal enrichment tools. Writing regularly in a journal encourages you to see life experiences and emotions more clearly, to better understand your own behavior, and explore your attitudes. Here are some journal exercises to get you started exploring love.