Compassion to What End?

by John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon

I’ve noticed an increase in the number of people on street corners asking for money the last several years. I have to admit that sometimes cynicism nags at me in response to the plea scribbled on a piece of cardboard in their hand.

“Anything will help. God bless”

Other times I just feel bad for the person holding the sign.  On rare occasions I actually give them some money.   I can’t explain why some people struck a chord with me and some didn’t.

Model used for illustrative purposes only © Glow Images

Why would I pass judgment on the individuals standing there– deciding some are worthy and some are not?  And what makes one worthy of my noticing them with compassion?  Does it matter if they’re married or have kids or not?  If they are an alcoholic?  If they have mental illness?  Or if they are truly a victim of economic circumstances leaving them down and out?

Consistency is important to me. I’m working towards a steady attitude of unconditional compassion for all mankind.

Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) has an important message for me.  It presents a moral imperative to show compassion for those whom we might consider unworthy.

That a Samaritan  (considered by ancient Jews to be an impure group) would stop to help a Jew who was in trouble, was unthinkable by social norms of the day. Perhaps one point Jesus was making in the story is that the Jew was worthy of the Samaritan’s compassion, not because he deserved it, but because he needed it.

Nothing in this parable suggests that another must deserve my compassion, or that I should get anything in return for my benevolence.

Then why do it? Does feeling and acting compassionately have any reward, even a sense of satisfaction for having felt and done something for someone else? In the traditional Christian moral paradigm, compassion and giving might be considered a prerequisite for going to heaven.

But what about the here and now?

I know that when I feel compassion for others, and act selflessly on it, I feel a sense of peace and inner happiness.  But research is finding that’s not all.

At the University of Michigan, professor of medicine Bertram Pitt MD, has found that forgiveness and regular acts of kindness do contribute to people’s overall happiness.

Studies on altruism, however, suggest that happiness is not the only benefit. A study of 2,700 residents of Tecumseh, Michigan, found that men who volunteered in their community were two and a half times less likely to die than non-volunteering men.

Tia Rich, Ph.D., Director of Stanford CARES (Compassion, Awareness, and Relationship Skills to Ease Stress), spoke with BeWell about the relationship between compassion and health. She says that: “… Compassion … can be expressed between strangers or even enemies…” such as was illustrated with the Good Samaritan.

She goes on: “In 2008, compassion’s role was the focus of researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison who reported the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies conducted on Tibetan Buddhist monks with more than 10,000 hours of compassion mediation experience. The research suggested that the experienced monks had greater awareness and attention to emotional stimuli and had a greater compassionate response to those stimuli. These findings suggest that compassion’s effect…may be a mechanism by which the stress response is reduced and health is promoted.”

K. C. Blair, Founder and Director of Good Samaritans International, says: “I never thought as a scientist I would find myself saying this, but our research data has led to our conclusion that compassion creates healing and maintains health.”

A freelance writer, breast cancer survivor, and frequent contributor to CNN, Amanda Anita, writes in her blog “How to deal with mean people”:

“Indeed, a slew of studies confirm that kinder people tend to live longer and lead healthier lives; volunteers have fewer aches and pains; and compassionate people are more likely to be healthier and successful.”

Whether or not you feel an obligation to love your neighbor as yourself, as I do, compassion for others can make life better for them.  And it can also improve your own longevity and health. But, as anyone knows who tries to practice compassion, it isn’t about logic and head games, but about expanding the heart. Many of those who make compassion their way of life understand this.

When Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist from the University of Wisconsin, began studying the effects of compassion meditation in 1992, he traveled to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and attached electrodes to the head of an expert meditation practitioner. He was surprised when the other monks began laughing.“I thought it was because he looked so funny with the electrodes attached to him,” Davidson recalled. But it turned out the monks were amused that he was trying to study the effects of compassion by attaching the electrodes to the practitioner’s head, rather than his heart.

Holding Crime in Check

by John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon

It’s never easy to see tragedies that undo lives and families and communities. In my 30 years of law enforcement I encountered  plenty of this sort of thing.  Our hearts go out to the community of Newtown, Connecticut, and to all parents and teachers across the country.  And yet, as we enter the season of good will and peace on earth, we are challenged to find a way to address the unexplainable. Without some view of the nature of life that transcends all the shortcomings of the human experience I’m certain that I would be adrift in despair.

©iStockphoto/adl21

I have found, though, that in holding onto and affirming what, for me, are fundamental truths, I can find peace.

This is what I feel:

I don’t know why this happened in a cosmic sense, and it’s futile to try and figure it out. My heart says that God did not cause this tragedy, nor turn His back on us.

To me, God is the essence of goodness. And God is complete love.   As such, I feel that God loves each one of us as His own creation, including all involved at Sandy Hook School. That love is still with those dear children and staff, embracing them and holding them close. They are with God.  More importantly for those trying to cope with the aftermath, divine Love is closer than ever to comfort and strengthen families and communities.

I believe we must be more persevering in our search for solutions to prevent future violence, whether it involves one person or thousands of people.  For me, it means praying to know that a loving and good God will guide our desires and actions towards finding solutions.

I, and others, might find ourselves letting go of some cherished beliefs and ideologies in this search for solutions, no matter how uncomfortable that makes us initially feel. Motivated by love for our children and our communities, embracing each other with more patience and attentiveness, we must find a way to work together toward that end.

I believe that being willing to pray for real solutions will bring them to us.   We can still feel the “peace that passes all understanding” during this season and beyond by insisting that we will not become cynical and afraid, and knowing that God has not turned away.  And when we do that we will find a way to hold these crimes in check.

First published on OregonLive

John Clague is a retired sheriff’s office captain, father of two grown sons, and husband. He now works with the media to ensure accurate representation of Christian Science.

Giving as Thanks Aids Health

By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, probably because it’s a time to especially acknowledge the gratitude I feel for all the good in my life.

A dictionary might define this term, thanksgiving, as “an act of giving thanks”, but I think it means more than that. It goes beyond uttering words of thanks to expressing it in concrete ways. It’s more action oriented and isn’t focused on me. Rather, my gratitude should impel action.

There are many examples of people selflessly helping others. I think immediately of incidents like:

Hundreds of boat owners and ferry pilots converging on the Manhattan shoreline to evacuate stranded New Yorkers after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

People in my community working at food banks and soup kitchens for the homeless.

Victor Frankl observing fellow prisoners of war coping through simple acts of sharing and encouragement.

©iStockphoto/guvendemir

These are people engaging in helping acts with no expectation of anything in return.

Why do we do it if there’s no expectation of reciprocal acts of kindness or money?

As a Christian, I might see The Golden Rule as a motivator out of obedience. And for those of other faith traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism there are similar guiding principles. But is this really what motivates adherents of any tradition to act for the benefit of others?

In examining my own impulses along this line I feel moved to do for others because I’m grateful for the good in my life which I feel comes from God. Perhaps giving to others as an expression of gratitude is the Divine working in the lives of others.

This could be why an unexpected result appears for the giver: it’s good for your health.

Stephen G. Post, PhD. has been researching this notion that helping others is actually beneficial to the helper. In his report It’s Good to be Good: 2011 Fifth Annual Scientific Report on Health, Happiness and Helping Others, Post makes these observations.

“My working hypothesis is that one of the healthiest things a person can do is to step back from self-preoccupation and self-worry, as well as from hostile and bitter emotions; there is no more obvious way of doing this than focusing attention on helping others.

“There is solid evidence to support the perennial hypothesis that benevolent emotions, attitudes, and actions centered on the good of others contribute to the giver’s happiness, health, and even longevity. Although genuine benevolence must be chiefly motivated by concern for others, it has the side effect of nourishing the giver.”

Linda P. Fried, M.D., director of the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins found that : “Older adults who volunteer in troubled urban schools not only improve the educational experience of children, but realize meaningful improvements in their own mental and physical health.”

Perhaps a good example of this is the Catholic nun who volunteered in our local jail for many years. She devoted her life to helping those in trouble with the law to better themselves through various programs. Last time I checked she was well over 90 years old and still going strong!

Robert A. Barnett says that “We consistently find that volunteering and helping behavior is associated with a reduced risk of mortality. We see this over and over again in prospective studies that control for other variables, such as baseline health and gender.”

Thinking about this more deeply, what if more of us worked harder to love and help out our fellow women and men? I mean really approach them with compassion, forgiveness, and a longing for their well-being impelled by gratitude for all the good in our lives. Might it make us feel better? Perhaps we would live in healthier, more connected communities.

The implications are profound. I make it an axiom that I can never be harmed by helping others. Now, I see it actually helps my health, too.

First published on OregonLive.

The promise of hope fulfilled

What I know of Christmas today is certainly different than what I knew as a child. I was really caught up in the magic of the holiday: the Christmas tree, decorations, presents, special treats, and being out of school for two whole weeks. It was a magical time of year.

As a child I was clueless about the sometimes unfortunate backstory of the magic. Stress, lack of money to buy gifts (or even to eat), being alone when you’re supposed to be with family and friends, broken relationships, overindulgence in alcohol and so on. This special time of year turns out to be the most dreaded for some. It doesn’t have to be the case, though, even in the most dire circumstances.

A different perspective on this season has emerged gently in my thought, and it continues to grow. You might think that my Christian affiliation means Christmas to me is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. But really, that is only the most familiar symbol of what Christmas has to offer.

A passage in the Bible in the book of Isaiah really tells the whole story of Christmas. It is the promise of hope fulfilled. In Isaiah it says that..

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ( Isaiah 9:2)

What do we hope for? It can mean repaired relationships, finding companionship, financial needs being met, and health restored. Restoring and maintaining health perhaps has been the biggest quest of mankind. The human race has devoted untold resources to alleviating pain and suffering, and prolonging life.

Modern medicine makes the headlines, but the ability to heal one’s self and others through prayer has been around for thousands of years. Christ Jesus taught how to change thought in order to bring healing, and this power is still available for everyone. The promise is for all time and there is current evidence that the promise is being fulfilled.

I found the story of Gabrielle Giffords’ remarkable recovery this year to be a great example of the power of the right mental atmosphere in healing. Not only is Gabby someone who never gives up, but her husband, Mark Kelly, and mother, Gloria, also knew that Gabby would recover as well. They saw that she was surrounded by love and a positive and unlimited attitude. This is a story of strength and courage, living out the fulfillment of the promise.

The backstory of Christmas isn’t hopelessness and despair. It’s fulfillment of the promise. Health is the best gift, and we all have more resources than we know to achieve it. Better than seasonal magic is the hope that Jesus brought to 2000 years ago. And the promise is being fulfilled.

Doing good for the benefit of who?

By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon

I’m sure there are many examples of people selflessly helping others. What comes to mind for you? Perhaps someone who is well known, like Mother Teresa.

Or perhaps there is someone you personally know who is a selfless giver, not expecting anything in return.

I think immediately of incidents like:

Hundreds of boat owners and ferry pilots converging on the Manhattan shoreline to evacuate stranded New Yorkers after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

People in my community working at food banks and soup kitchens for the homeless.

Victor Frankl helping fellow prisoners of war cope through simple acts of sharing and encouragement

These are people engaging in helping acts with no expectation of anything in return.

Where does this desire to help others come from? Not only is history full of people helping people, but the stories of different cultures are full of these examples as a way of conveying a virtue or a moral, like Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Why do we do it if there’s no expectation of reciprocal acts of kindness or money?

In examining my own impulses along this line I can’t find a clear answer. As a Christian, The Golden Rule could be a motivator out of obedience. And for those of other faith traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism there are similar guiding principles. But is this really what motivates adherents of any tradition to act for the benefit or others?

Perhaps we do this simply because that’s who we are. It’s part of the very fabric of our being to help others. From my perspective, it’s how God made us. Mankind is basically good at the very core. And perhaps that’s what impels us to help each other.

There’s a twist to this good samaritan attitude, however, that I hadn’t thought of before. It’s good for your health.

Stephen G. Post, PhD. has been researching this notion that helping others is actually beneficial to the helper. In his report It’s Good to be Good: 2011 Fifth Annual Scientific Report on Health, Happiness and Helping Others, Post makes these observations.

“My working hypothesis is that one of the healthiest things a person can do is to step back from self-preoccupation and self-worry, as well as from hostile and bitter emotions; there is no more obvious way of doing this than focusing attention on helping others.

“…we can no longer afford to believe that we will find happiness and health through self-obsession. Selfishness and greed are not a good way to care for the self, while compassion and doing “unto others” seem to be the successful strategy…

“There is solid evidence to support the perennial hypothesis that benevolent emotions, attitudes, and actions centered on the good of others contribute to the giver’s happiness, health, and even longevity. Although genuine benevolence must be chiefly motivated by concern for others, it has the side effect of nourishing the giver.”

He cites a number of case studies showing a link between better health, more happiness and helping others.

Thinking about this a little deeper, what if more of us worked harder to love and help out our fellow women and men? I mean really love them with compassion, forgiveness, and a longing for their well being that impels us to act when they need our help. Not only would we feel better, but we would live in healthier communities.

The implications are profound. I’ve often held to the axiom that I could never be harmed by doing for others. I certainly feel good about helping others. Now, I see it actually helps my health, too. How about you?