The compassion project.

Human beings, and other animals as far as we know, have so many wonderful, instinctive emotions.

Love. Our reason.

Joy. Our pleasure.

Hope. Our protector.

But one of the most precious to me is compassion.

Our intuitive desire to care for others, to emphasize with others, is overwhelming to me.

We see a stranger crying in a movie and we want to cry too.

We hear tales of despair in Japan and New Zealand and our throats go sharp.

We see those we love hurt and our own hearts are unbearably crushed.

My auntie this week passed on a card to me called The Compassion Project. Not because she thought I needed to practice it (I hope!), but because she read some of it to me and I asked her if I could have it. It listed five steps that we should all try to practice to enrich our lives and those of others.

I feel like I have been trying to follow these steps my whole life... when someone was mean to me; when I felt I didn't trust a person for no apparent reason; when I was trying to understand a friend's hurtful behaviour.

These steps can be practiced on such people, or even on complete strangers:

Step 1: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:

"Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness in his/her life."

Step 2: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:

"Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life."

Step 3: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:

"Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair."

Step 4: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:

"Just like me, this person is is seeking to fulfill his/her needs."

Step 5: With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:

"Just like me, this person is learning about life."

These steps were written by author Harry Palmer.

I won't preach, but I do hope. I hope that all of us will practice compassion and look at others as friends and companions; even the ones who hurt us. They don't mean to. And even if they do, practice compassion anyway.

It's such a beautiful gift.