Compassion

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

I am so saddened by the recent news articles that depict us as greedy, selfish animals storming shopping center doors at four in the morning, with all the pushing, shoving, and rude behavior that goes along with it. The Black Friday madness will be forgotten soon (except for family and friends of those killed and injured in the mayhem) and we will do it again next year.
I don't know if it is because the Holiday season makes me more aware - it shouldn't - or that my Seasonal Affective Disorder has me looking for indignities over which I can become depressed .... but, it seems there is an explosion of the "I-me-my-mine" attitudes. I am watching behaviors become negatively modified with fast-everything, we are encouraged to not delay any gratification, buy, spend, charge it, no interest for 100 years, make it bigger, better, Super sized!!
I don't want to be a part of this.... I want simple. I want a nice pot of homemade soup, not takeout. I want a game of double 12 dominoes, or crib, not Nintendo. I want to read outloud to the family after dinner, not plug in a video.
It seems to me that if we attempt to simplify our daily lives, the clatter and clutter will give way to a clearer view of ourselves and our fellow travellers. We will have time for relationships and kindness and conversations with strangers. We will walk more softly, smile more, relax, sleep sounder. With the noise and confusion of life muted by simplicity, we will once again find that attributes like compassion, empathy, and kindness will fill those spaces.
So, if this were to happen, next year on Black Friday there will be smiling, polite folks out there... oh, about nine thirty instead of four, and we will hear things like, "After you." No, after you..". wouldn't that be a treat.

I will work on COMPASSION this coming year. Step #1: Simplify.