How Can a Murderer Change?

Did anyone care to find out why he was “scary” and try to determine a way to change that? In the aftermath of the most recent school shooting in the USA, blogger Hasty Words asked this question. It got me thinking – can we reach out to others in pain and with our love and compassion steer them away from … Read More

How Compassion Helps with Anger

There seems to be more anger around these days, particularly online. Every time I log into Facebook I see someone ranting in my feed, and Twitter is so awash with people insulting each other that I rarely go there. A few decades ago, psychologists believed venting anger was healthy, and would have possibly encouraged all this ranting. Because Freud and … Read More

How To Be Your Own Friend Through Sadness And Disappointment

Be your own friend

When things are going well for us, it’s (mostly) easy enough to feel good about ourselves, and to feel compassion towards others. But when life throws us those old curveballs every other day, or several times a day, it’s not so easy. Yet that’s when we need compassion the most – both to feel it for others and to feel … Read More

Is Compassion Natural or Nurtured? a #1000Speak post

I am dressing my baby after her vaccinations, feeling relieved we got through it without tears. She looks around, eyes wide, paying attention to the movements in the room. A mother lays her baby on the changing mat next to ours. The baby is wailing loudly. My baby turns her head to look at him. She starts crying too. We … Read More

When Someone You Love is Suffering – Be Real

A person I love works hard, against difficult odds, to achieve a goal. It doesn’t happen. This person feels disappointment. I feel it too, and regret: perhaps if I’d followed up on an idea I had months ago the odds could have been reduced, this sadness prevented. I allowed others to dissuade me, wasn’t sure. I’m still not sure, and … Read More

The Courage to Have Compassion – a #1000Speak post

During World War 1, a man armed only with a revolver and stick destroyed a German machine gun and killed its crew. When attempting to take out a second machine gun he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. That’s courage, the kind of courage that wins medals, and is remembered. Yet, it also takes courage to say … Read More

How Do You Fight Hate? #1000Speak

She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisionous. Brendan Cox, widower of Jo Cox, the Labour MP murdered last Thursday. How do … Read More

It’s Okay To Be You – a #1000Speak post

I was a shy teenager, particularly around boys. If one of those scary creatures looked at me, I went red, even though I knew he would actually be looking beyond me to the gorgeous blonde girl or bubbly chatterbox behind. If there was nobody behind me – then he’d made a mistake and for a moment thought I was someone … Read More