Looking at the world through the myriad of media sources we have at our disposal, it seems as though there’s no shortage of suffering and indifference. Between the pandemic affecting all of us, to the racial injustices, political discord, threat of war and the surmounting environmental issues, it seems logical that we’d distract ourselves from all of it, with our devices and the never ending streams of mindless entertainment we’ve all become addicted to.

With all these distractions, it seems the one vital thing we’ve managed to neglect is compassion. Feeling empathy for suffering that doesn’t affect us on a personal level seems abnormal, since most of us believe there’s nothing we can do to alleviate the suffering of someone outside of our circle. The truth is, cultivating our own sense of empathy and compassion for all living beings unconditionally, has the ability to affect the world on a global scale and create a more peaceful future.

Compassion is the foundation of buddhist philosophy and exercising compassion for all living beings is a virtue of buddhist practice. Without compassion, a peaceful world is an impossibility. Unless we allow ourselves to know the pain of others, we can’t expect to empathize with them, much less help end their suffering.

But what does that look like? How does more compassion translate into putting an end to all the suffering in the world? What does one person’s compassion have to do with all of these global issues that seem insurmountable? Surely, one person can’t change the world, right?

In this episode, I take a closer look into the real meaning of compassion, how important the concept is to buddhist practice and ultimately, to creating a more peaceful world, with less suffering and more unity. I felt the song “Driven To Tears” by The Police is a great metaphor to help explain this concept and what a change of heart can mean to the world, if we each take a look inside ourselves and strengthen our own compassion muscle.