Letter from Acting President November 2023

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

— Maya Angelou

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Dear Reader,

November has arrived, and with it comes cool weather, the end of daylight savings time, a whisper of the upcoming holiday season, and also Houston’s Compassion Week (Nov. 13-19), which is an annual series of events, gatherings, and workshops the Institute is a proud to support.

Compassion is an essential part of many, if not most, of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions. In Ephesians 4:32, Paul reminds us to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.” Buddhists emphasize compassion as the active and enacted desire for others to be free from suffering. Muslims begin prayers by reciting “Bi Ism-i- Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim,” translating to “begin in the name of Allah Who is Compassionate and Merciful.” Even outside of religious traditions, secular humanist resources emphasize the importance of compassion as much as reason, experience, and critical thinking. So, the list goes on, transcending cultures and worldviews.

Sometimes compassion is used as a synonym for empathy, although the terms differ in practice. While empathy involves relating to and understand another person’s circumstances, compassion includes a desire to help. In other words, it is the difference between “I feel for you” and “here is a helping hand.”

This month, I invite you to reflect on how you have experienced compassion, both as a “compassionista” (the term the late Rev. Betty Adam, founder of Compassionate Houston, used to call compassionate individuals) and as a recipient of compassion.

With Peace,

Stuart

Stuart C. Nelson

Acting President