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com/2013/06/30/who-is-my-neighbour/ Twitter: @cvenema_shh

Who is my neighbour?
"Those who make compassion an essential part of their lives find the joy in life. Kindness deepens the spirit and produces rewards that cannot be completely explained in words. It is an experience more powerful than words. To become acquainted with kindness one must be prepared to learn new things and feel new feelings. Kindness is more than a philosophy of the mind. It is a philosophy of the spirit." Robert J. Furey, You Are Good Enough

News Flash:
Researchers at UC Berkeley are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive. In contrast to "every man for himself" interpretations of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychologist and author of "Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life," and his fellow social scientists are building the case that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, altruistic and compassionate traits. They call it "survival of the kindest."
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20091210/Social-scientists-say-compassion-is-humans-strongest-trait.aspx

Compassion. Kindness. The Golden Rule. Call it what you will (perhaps requiring you to suspend your disbelief?), there is a fundamental, humanistic trait within each of us to look out for each other. One only has to look at how this concept is espoused in multiple societies around the world to determine its ubiquitous nature. To varying degrees, the common thread of contributing to the greater societal good is expressed in social and religious / philosophical contexts around the world. To some, it is expressed as daya, the moral virtue of empathizing with one who is suffering, and the imperative to act with mercy, kindness and forgiveness to eliminate that suffering. To others, it is called karuna, or compassion that comprises both wisdom and loving-kindness: That is

to say, one must understand the nature of the suffering from which we wish to free others (this is wisdom), and one must experience deep intimacy and empathy with other sentient beings (this is lovingkindness)" (Dalai Lama, The Essence of the Heart Sutra). In Hebrew text, the passage (from Leviticus 19:18) translates to You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD (source). And in Christian teaching, Jesus instructs us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12), and to take care of those who need it, for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbour as yourself (Galatians 5:14). So with the pervasive instruction and moral belief from multiple sources, contexts, and across our globe, why is there so much suffering that goes unnoticed, and therefore not attended to? How are we also so capable of inflicting suffering on others, when it is apparently ingrained within us not to do so, as the social scientists at Berkley would have us believe? What is it that makes us impervious to, apathetic about, or instigators of human suffering? Could it be in our understanding of who is my neighbour? Is our neighbour literally confined to the man or woman who lives next door, or the family down the street, the colleagues with whom I work well in my job, or those with similarly aligned attitudes, political beliefs, nationality, social status and general cultural understanding as myself? With such a homogenous, comfortable group, its pretty easy to be compassionate in fact, one would have to put real effort into being nasty and injurious to ones neighbour in such a context. But what happens if we take the interfaith / poly-philosophical / cross-cultural understanding of compassion at its literal, simplistic best: to refrain from instigating suffering, and instead to feel true compassion for those suffering in our midst, and to be compelled then to act to end their suffering? To all others in our midst? What a radicalized simplicity indeed - to transcend the political, the cultural, the social norm, and to act as we are innately called to act: to love our neighbour, to take care of them, and at bare minimum, to not cause them suffering. When Jesus confronted his disciples with a similar call to action, they responded: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? Jesus simply responded: Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me(Matthew 25:31-36). For all of us, as human beings, no matter what our affiliation or belief structure, it is a wake-up call to action indeed.

Message in Music:
Crazy Enough, by MercyMe (full lyrics here)
Call me crazy, but what if we learn To love our brother for nothing in return? Oh how the rules would change: Reaching out to the ones who need help Treating them as you first would treat yourself. Now that would be insane! It may just be crazy enough To work if we could only love . What if we somehow changed the world? It may just be crazy enough.

(You can click on the picture to take you to the youtube video.)

Won't You Be My Love, by MercyMe (full lyrics here)

Won't you be My voice calling Won't you be My hands healing Won't you be My feet walking into a broken world Won't you be My chain-breaker Won't you be My peacemaker Won't you be My hope and joy Won't you be My Love

(You can click on the picture to take you to the youtube video.)