________________
After all, we live in a world filled with violence. There are wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the festering conflicts in Israel and Palestine; and the homicides, robberies and shootings in our city. There are also nasty e-mail reply-alls at work and angry outbursts at home. The cycle of violence is perpetual, it seems. We look for some kind of master plan to end all violence. We hope for a single meeting at work or a heartfelt conversation at home to make everything better. But as I grow older, I have realized that things don't happen that way. Often in life, there are small acts of compassion: things people do without looking for reward or praise, acts for which people do not calculate the return on investment. These acts of compassion move us and bring us to tears. Compassion has many modern-day champions. My favorites are Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. Each year in Memphis, the GandhiKing Conference held at Christian Brothers University brings together national speakers to rejuvenate their spirit and the spirit of compassion within us. This year, the conference opens with a talk by civil rights leader Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles at 1 p.m. Oct. 23. Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist writer and activist, closes out the conference with a banquet dinner on Saturday night at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. At these conferences, what I learn is that compassion and respect—tangible expressions of the philosophy of nonviolence—are opportunities for us to break the cycle of violence through our ordinary, everyday moments. Compassion is a necessary and learnable skill we need to develop. And studies show that compassion is one of four traits that patients seek in their doctors, along with competency, communication skills and convenience. As I considered what to do as my patient was lying in bed, I surveyed my surroundings and reached for a clean bath towel.
274
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
