I am attending a conference on compassion in Seattle on Friday (search the internet for Compassionate Seattle and Compassionate Cities are Uncomfortable Cities). For the conference I am creating a brochure to explain the Kindness Paradigm. It has helped me get as clear as I have been so far on this idea:
The Kindness Paradigm — The garden as a whole is less for each plant that fails to thrive.
Cheryl Jensen
It is time to shift our social paradigm from one of domination, in which economics are the driving force behind our decisions, to one of kindness, in which happiness in our own lives and the lives of others is the driving force behind our decisions.
As individuals, many of us have visions of a more harmonious life but as a people we don’t have a clear, common vision of what that sort of change would look like or how to achieve it.
Once we have a common vision for what we want our world to look like the change we seek, and which has thus far been elusive, will slip more readily into place.
The common vision:
A world in which every person feels safe and secure and free to follow their heart’s desires; every person thrives both physically and mentally; all people have relationships that are satisfying and fulfilling; all mankind prospers; and every single person reaches the end of each day feeling satisfied and fulfilled. And, should a person reach the end of the day not feeling happily self-satisfied they have some form of supportive network to buoy their spirits and ready them for the next day.
The path to achievement:
Develop compassion. Compassion transcends all barriers. Since kindness is a result of compassion, this one action (development of compassion) will change the world.
The steps to compassion:
Mentally relax about life as it is right now. Accept willingly that which presents before us and allow it to exist, whatever it is. Understand that all any of us ever do is seek to feel good in this very difficult game of life. With this understanding it is much easier to feel compassion for others when they exhibit untoward behavior. Hold compassion for ourselves and for others regardless of the situation. What naturally overflows is kindness.
The result:
Life in The Kindness Paradigm looks like each and every person committing words and actions from kindness, kindness being defined as arising from the understanding that what affects one affects another thus nurturing a desire to create harmony through positive word and action.
And:
In this gentler, supportive, kind environment each of us feels free to follow our heart’s desires.
There is no-thing more important than pursuing the heart’s desires. It is the heart’s desires that stimulate us to action and drives us to pursue our talents. The expression of the heart’s desires causes the heart to soar. Call that soaring heart happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction… put your own name to it. Whatever it is called, a soaring heart is a heart full of gladness and a world full of glad hearts is the goal of The Kindness Paradigm.
Furthermore, living out our heart’s desires in a supportive environment in which it is our common goal to assist one another in pursuing the expression of our individual talents we will each thrive and prosper. When each of us thrives and prospers then we thrive and prosper as a world community.
Thus, from compassion and its resultant expressions of kindness, we will uplift one another into our wholeness and our happiness.
Happy people are not contemplating acts of terrorism. They are not starving. They feel no need to overthrow their government nor open fire on unsuspecting targets. Happy people are healthy, thriving participants in our common game of life.
If a world full of glad hearts is the goal of the Kindness Paradigm then the result of a world full of glad hearts is world peace.
“Lack of war is not peace. To have peace one must be peace. A side effect of peace is lack of war.”
Higgins/ Cheryl Jensen
The Kindness Paradigm and all Higgins’ material is copyrighted by Cheryl Jensen. All rights reserved.
Ask Higg(in)s 
Hi Cheryl,
That sounds good!
Been wanting to share this with you:
Exercise 17: Compassion Exercise
from ReSurfacing® by Harry Palmer
Honesty with yourself leads to compassion for others.
Objective: To increase the amount of compassion in the world.
Expected Result: A personal sense of peace.
Instructions
This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate (airports, malls, parks, beaches, etc.). It should be done on strangers, unobtrusively, from some distance. Try to do all five steps on the same person.
Step 1 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life.”
Step 2 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”
Step 3 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness, and despair.”
Step 4 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs.”
Step 5 With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”
Variation:
1. To be done by couples and family members to increase understanding of each other.
2. To be done on old enemies and antagonists still present in your memories.
3. To be done on other life forms.
Also recommended: Exercise 15: Walk For Atonement; Exercise 16: Self-Deception Signals; Exercise 18 Viewpoints
Thanks for the exercises in compassion. It took me years to understand why His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, so consistently presses compassion. Now that I get why I have to practice the how 🙂