The Philanthropic Family

Thanks to Kristen at the 29-Day Giving Challenge for the suggestion to check out “Zen Habits” blog.  I loved the recent post on “25 Ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today.”  As the author Leo Babauta reminds us, the Dalai Lama said “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

A few of my favorites from the list that focus on compassion:

• “Comfort someone in grief. Often a hug, a helpful hand, a kind word, a listening ear, will go a long way when someone has lost a loved one or suffered some similar loss or tragedy.”
• “Help them take action. If someone in grief seems to be lost and doesn’t know what to do, help them do something. It could be making funeral arrangements, it could be making a doctor’s appointment, it could be making phone calls. Don’t do it all yourself — let them take action too, because it helps in the healing process.”
• “Create a care package. Soup, reading material, tea, chocolate … anything you think the person might need or enjoy. Good for someone who is sick or otherwise in need of a pick-me-up.”
• “Lend your voice. Often the powerless, the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for them. You don’t have to take on that cause by yourself, but join others in signing a petition, speaking up a a council meeting, writing letters, and otherwise making a need heard.”

Some commenters on the post lamented the fact that such a list was even needed.  But as the mother of a 4-year old and a 2-year old, I get daily reminders that the major instincts of the human id seem to be more focused on self.   I never want to pretend like this stuff is easy. 

Tags: charity, compassion, Dalai Lama, philanthropy, zen, zen habits

This entry was posted on May 29, 2008 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.