A sharable Holiday Gift for the people in my wwworld

We finally decorated at home in Brussels yesterday!

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I received a very special gift from someone about 10 days ago.

Though I have seen her many times, I do not actually know her name. She was hosting a "social enterprise bazaar" stall next to mine. We were both features at the grand opening of The Hub Brussels - a social enterprise incubator where I rent 25 desk hours in a really cool group office space each month. I spend time there in the context of establishing my new social profit company and developing the Internet4Change project. The woman who gave me this gift also works on her project there. Her work has something to do with compassion building.

I remembered to take this gift out of my handbag and looked at it for a couple of days. I considered it, thought about it, showed it to my kids. Finally, I used it ~ and enjoyed it. I used it again... and kind of fell in love with it.

As I thought about it for a few days more, I became more and more intrigued by it's quiet power to subtly transform my thought patterns about conflicts in my life. About one painful conflict in particular, I started thinking about some practical lessons I'd learned. I stopped feeling hurt. Eventually I took an action that started to right an unintended wrong that resulted from that conflict.

And so I thought about this gift, for a few days more.

I imagined what might happen if everyone I knew and the people they knew, and people they knew all had this gift and used it at least once. I wondered: if more and more ordinary people used this gift regularly, could we - would we - actually, possibly, maybe, pretty pleeeeease build some more compassion and meaningful peace in the world?

Couldn't we simply learn to BE peace on Earth?

I'm crazy enough to think we ought to try.

When I found myself thinking about ways to magnify the gift's power, I realized that this was just the kind of thing I'd been looking for, to share with friends in my online wwworld this holiday season.

I am giving it to you.

Because I know you will enjoy it.

Because I have faith that you'll use it and share it for good.

There are some variations possible with this gift. I present you below with mine ~

The gift: A Practical Exercise in Compassion Building

Before you begin:
Think of someone with whom you have had a past conflict that you still have memory of.
  • Hold that person in your mind, and say inside yourself:
    Just like me, s/he is looking for happiness in their life.
  • Hold that person in your mind, and say inside yourself:
    Just like me, s/he tries to avoid suffering in their life.
  • Hold that person in your mind, and say inside yourself:
    Just like me, s/he has known sadness, loneliness and desperation.
  • Hold that person in your mind, and say inside yourself:
    Just like me, s/he seeks to satisfy their needs.
  • Hold that person in your mind, and say inside yourself:
    Just like me, s/he is still learning about life.
Please join me in spending some time actively practicing peace this holiday season. Use your new gift. Enjoy the feel of it... and don't forget to share.

With love, and in honor of the beauty you add to the tapestry on my cyberwalls,

Here's to being peace on Earth!

I would love to read your comments.

Christina

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