World We Dare to Imagine Part 1

 The Issues that Stem from an Utter Lack of Compassion

When I think of a better world I think of one with more compassion. I think a lot of the issues that I see, especially in the U.S., come down to a fundamental lack of care for other people. As for a solution to this problem, instilling compassion in every individual worldwide–or at least enough individuals that those who remain selfish go into hiding–isn’t exactly a piece of cake. The important first step is to identify the root of the problem. In my opinion, people without compassion become that way because they weren’t shown it in their own lives. It’s a multigenerational issue that compounds decades of trauma until someone in the family line breaks the cycle.

My solution, while fairly impractical but hey this is a world I dare to imagine, is an organization that provides a form of therapy for all individuals. It would be a massive undertaking so it would have to start on a small scale and grow but here’s how I think it would be done. I’m leaving out the “how” we get people to do it part for now because I need to think about it more. 

1. Participants fill out a survey with questions about how valued they feel in different areas of their lives and what they wish other people in their lives knew about them.

2. Then individuals would be paired who feel they are lacking support in similar areas. These individuals would meet and have a guided conversation that allowed each of them to air their grievances and form a connection based on their mutual experiences. For example, let’s say there are two men who feel their wives don’t appreciate how hard they work to support their family.

3. Then the more complicated part, these pairs would come together in a larger group discussion with a trained facilitator. The groups would be made up of pairs feeling opposite sides of the same problem. Using the example I listed before, it would be a group made up of half spouses who feel unappreciated for working so hard at a job and half spouses who feel unappreciated for working so hard at home. The facilitator would validate each group’s feelings and help each group to see and understand what the other goes through.

4. Everybody starts to develop compassion. 

I know it’s not a simple issue to fix nor an easy project to execute, but a world without compassion will continue to deteriorate leaving nothing but desolation and unpacked trauma for generations to come.