Recent Compassion Commentaries

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The Way Forward, Conclusion: Where We Need to Be
Moral courage is a rare commodity, rarer still today. Those who stand up—frequently alone—to shine a light on corruption, deceit, and discrimination at the risk of their reputations and livelihoods are worthy of admiration. Republican representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, football coach Brian Flores—all have gone it alone in standing against reprehensible behavior,...
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February 4, 2022
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A Christmas Prayer
A Christmas Carol in Prose Being a Ghost Story of Christmas first appeared in 1843, and for 180 years its message of redemption is more important than ever. Ebenezer Scrooge, a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner,” is quick to criticize his nephew, his put-upon bookkeeper, and everyone about the utter wastefulness of a season that brings joy...
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December 24, 2021
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What’s So Good About 2021?
Embed from Getty Images Depressed about the last 12 months of well, . . . you fill in the blank. The magazine, Wired, reported a list of “21 Things That Made the World a Better Place in 2021.” Here are a few. More Than 8.47 Billion Covid-19 Vaccinations Were Administered Globally “In December 2020,  » Read more about: What’s So Good...
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December 21, 2021
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We Can Do This
Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.  —Robert Kennedy Before a campaign appearance in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sen. Robert Kennedy had just learned of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.. The crowd he was planning to address had not yet...
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September 14, 2021
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“Cop Tips Waitress $2M”
That’s what a New York tabloid headline read in the romantic comedy, “It Could Happen to You.” The Bridget Fonda, Nicolas Cage movie is about a cop who, short of cash for a tip in a restaurant, makes a deal with the waitress. “I’ll come back tomorrow with double the tip, or we’ll split the lottery ticket I’m holding.” Of...
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June 25, 2021
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That Extra Mile
This story ran last March, but it’s worth another look to show that there are police officers who, with patience and compassion, take a closer look before using any force. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment one year ago. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Dreck Chauvin when the officer held his...
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May 10, 2021
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Meet in The Middle
I didn’t know much about Tyler Perry before Sunday’s Academy Award event. I sure know a lot more now. Last Sunday, Perry was the recipient of the Gene Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The honor is only periodically given to an “individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” And Perry more than qualified. His...
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April 28, 2021
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That Extra Mile
Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment one year ago. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Dreck Chauvin when the officer held his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes. According to Statista (Mar. 20), “the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was much higher than for any other...
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March 17, 2021
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The Good, The Bad of Last Year
Looking back over the past year we have faced the challenges of a lifetime. During that past year, Pew Research has been asking American’s their views and reactions to the COVID-19 virus. How the virus has affected their lives. The results show a mix of the depressed, fortunate, money-savers, readers, angry, happy and more… Here is just a small sampling...
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March 12, 2021
The Compassionate and the Moralizer
Two stories about the coronavirus vaccine caught my attention. Embed from Getty Images In a recent letter to New York Times ethicist, Kwame Anthony Appiah, one reader writes: “I work for a hospital, but in an administrative job. I do not interact with patients. I have worked from home since March. I am not at high risk for contracting Covid-19...
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March 5, 2021