Be Boldly Compassionate!
Moving Forward in 2025
The beginning of the New Year invites us to pause, reflect, and adopt new perspectives. So, let’s take a moment to stop and think: What does the world need most, and what do I need most?
My answer is twofold: First, the world urgently needs compassionate citizens who care for the planet. Second, each of us must cultivate compassion within ourselves—not just to “save the world” but to save ourselves from a narrow, self-centered life. Compassion harmonizes our personal needs with the collective needs of humanity, creating a joyful dance that can uplift all who encounter it.
One of the most heart-touching stories I heard last year was about a group of children in Africa who were invited to participate in an “orange race,” where the winner would receive an entire basket of oranges. What the children did was totally unexpected—they joined hands, walked to the basket together, and shared the oranges equally! When asked why they did not compete for the prize so the winner could have all the oranges, they smiled and said, “Ubuntu! How can we be happy when our friends are sad?”
A Western anthropologist who studied the tribe found that Ubuntu means “I am because we are.” In other words, we are all interconnected and need each other. Fulfillment and happiness are never a one-man (or one-woman) job. They elude the hands of selfish people who try to grab them and hold them tight.
Here’s another example: A few days ago, I joined our Food For Life team right on Kottbusser Tor, a place in Berlin known as the city’s criminal center. We distributed steaming hot daal soup, bread, cakes, and other preparations to homeless people living there. The day was bitterly cold, and the atmosphere felt gloomy and dismal when we arrived. But everything changed as soon as we opened the steaming pots. The homeless came from all directions, drawn like bees attracted by an open jar of honey.
What moved me most was not just how friendly and respectful these individuals were towards us, but even more so how considerate they were towards each other, “Let him go first; he has only one leg.” “You’re worse off than me; please take the meal first.”
Someone passing nearby noticed the warm atmosphere at our Food For Life table and was so inspired that they went into a nearby shop, spontaneously bought all the warm hats available, and handed them to us to distribute.
My question to all of us is: What can we, who have so much, learn from the “orange children” or Berlin’s homeless? I believe it’s compassion—the innate quality within all of us that comes fully alive when we act with empathy or see it in action somewhere else.
The Transformative Power of Compassion
As we can see in the sacred scriptures and the writings of the acaryas, compassion is a very important element in unlocking our spiritual potential. What happens when you act with compassion?
- Compassion makes you less selfish. It softens the hard knots of the ego in the heart,
which brings instant relief from the straightjacket of the ego. - Compassion expands your vision. It helps you see the equality of all beings and fills you with happiness and spiritual insight.
- Compassion pleases Krishna. The Lord is delighted when you care for His creatures.
- Compassion empowers you. It removes your helplessness in the face of the world’s tremendous injustices and problems.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada writes, “To be compassionate is the mission of life. Everything one has should be engaged for the benefit of others.” He thereby echoes Krishna’s words in the 10th Canto, “One attains the highest success in life when one performs welfare activities with one’s vitality, wealth, intelligence, and words.” SB 10.22.35
How inspiring!
You may think, “I am just a small person. What difference can I make?” But rest assured, your compassionate contribution absolutely matters because it definitely changes things for the people you come in contact with—if only a few—and, perhaps most importantly, it attracts divine help. Here is a story about attracting help from above:
In the evening, the sun said, “I am going. Is there anyone who can give light in my absence?” The world was silent until a little candle spoke, “I can burn and give some light.”
The sun laughed, highly pleased. “Fine, I will return in the morning to assist you.”
Simple Acts of Compassion
The known saying, “I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I understand,” holds especially true when it comes to compassion. Only when you act compassionately will you truly grasp its tremendous power to bring about significant change. Here are a few practical ways to act compassionately:
- Empathize with the suffering of others: Listen to their stories without judgment. Make them feel seen and heard by you. This alone will give tremendous relief to them.
- Help those in need: It could be as simple as helping an elderly person cross the street. Small acts of kindness and care go a long way.
- Be creative: Join a charity, speak out against injustice, or invite someone to over for good discussions and prasadam (sanctified food).
- Share gifts of hope: Food, clothes, and shelter are vital expressions of care and compassion. Sacred scriptures point out that of all the gifts, sharing transcendental knowledge is considered the highest because it gives powerful impulses that steer a person away from their karma. So, give a book or offer advice—but don’t ignore people’s empty stomachs!
The main point is that whatever you do, do it with a giving, compassionate heart. Don’t do it to “benefit” yourself⎯ to be seen, recognized, or loved. Compassion is something we do for others!
I wish you a very fulfilling year. Be boldly compassionate, and remember to base your choices on your hopes rather than your fears.
Sacinandana Swami