Compassion without a pat on the back

I heard a little bit of this radio show on NPR the other day and the subject was compassion. I do not know what the whole show was about but the woman who was speaking when I was able to listen was a nun once and know studies comparative religion. Her name is Karen Armstrong and she won a TED prize which then does something for the winner as a wish. See here:

http://www.tedprize.org/karen-armstrong/the-personal-side-of-compassion/

I am forever amazed at how when people who study all religions talk about their universal teachings I completely agree with everything they say and want to shout it out, but when a religious person asks me about my beliefs I also feel exhausted and ill at the end of the conversation. Oh how we have muddled these ideas over the centuries! I cannot believe that people have chosen to see the types of meanings in their religion's teachings that lead to hate and violence. I am always amazed at how little people care to talk about love and peace.

My life has been revealing things to be lately about attitude and happiness as a consequence of doing the things that make you feel good and think positively. I recently watched a movie or film or something called The Secret. It talked about the Law of Attraction, and how we get what we think about in our lives. So when we focus on what we do not want, it will still come to us because the universe does not interpret things with a NOT in front of it. It just provides what we dwell on and so we have to project exactly what we want to get it. Visualization and actual feeling as if you have this thing now are essential.

I play the Glad Game from Pollyanna a lot because I believe in finding good things even among less than desirable circumstances. I also use childcare speak with people..."please walk" and "inside voices" [not "don't run" and "don't yell"], but obviously I am not saying those exact things in my every day life! :) I look for the good in people and I try to do things that I love everyday. I do not hurt animals, even mosquitoes and spiders, because they are fine to be here too. I try to be compassionate all the time, but I am not doing it to get a badge that will make it that much easier for me to get into Heaven, I am doing it because it simply feels good to treat others well and sometimes to put them above myself.

I am so content these days because I have figured out that when I have a choice to make, I really have to trust my feelings and act based on what I know feels the best. It is hard for me to learn to feel for a choice over thinking about it, but I know that this is the rational choice to make now. So I leave you now, to make my reality for the day...smile...ok, come on, get happy....!!!! =D