Tears for Cecil

I write a lot about compassion between people.  But compassion extends to everything.  It includes, nature - the earth, our environment, animals.

I have been deeply saddened by the killing of Cecil the lion.  And even more than that, by the reasons for the killing.  I find it hard to believe that there are groups of individuals out there that kill simply for a trophy.  And to think that symbol could possibly mean to those individuals their superiority over others for 'having' something rare and forbidden.  Why is it that we tend to feel great and special just because we 'have' something that somebody else does not?

Another post I read was that "if we are playing the blame game then maybe we should blame poverty and corruption".  Corruption can defiantly be blamed, but can poverty?  I know from my own experiences thru travel to developing countries that there's a lot of people trying to make a buck any way they can.  But is OK to blame poverty?  Do we not all make choices with our personal moral compasses?  For every person that is willing to do wrong, to feel like they are simply 'doing what they need to do to survive' - does it make their actions acceptable and OK?

In life I think there are always people that take advantage and people that don't.  Whether we're poor, rich or otherwise.  Is it OK to say poverty is the reason we make poor decisions?  I don't think so. I think we are all responsible for our actions and decisions.  Yes, poverty can easily provoke somebody to make the wrong decision and not listen to their moral compass.  But it's the enablers, the people that make the transaction possible the real reasons behind the events.  In this case it's the officials that turned a blind eye, and provided the supply, and it's even more so the individuals that demand the supply.

It's similar to this story:  Many years ago my dad's friend was lamenting about a news article regarding Salmon in BC and the dwindling supply.  He then went on about how wrong it was that first nations people had the right to fish whatever they wanted - (for their person use.)  And it was their fault.  I was young at the time and couldn't help but open my mouth and tell him 'well if people didn't buy the fish from the first nations people, (as it was not legal to do so) - like you do (at a much reduced price) - then I guess  they wouldn't fish so much ".  .  . demand creates the supply.

The solution?  I honestly don't know.  Education is key.  Education for everyone.  We should be teaching compassion in schools from an early age and making it a central focus.  It takes time to change a culture.  But if you look over the history of people, slowly but surely we are as a whole becoming a kinder more compassionate group.

Teachings from the Rossland Broken Goat 50 km

This weekend I ran my 3rd 50 km race in 2 years - The Broken Goat.  It was a spectacular event.  If anyone has ever been to Rossland on the 7 summits trail you will understand what I mean when I refer to its stunning vistas and gnarly terrain.  If you have never been there, you should go.

Photo:  Ryan Flett Media

The race went something like this:  Starting at the Nancy Green Summit, situated at 1575 meters began a slow ascent of about 9 km to Mount Plewman.  A no trail scramble up about 100 meters to the top - At 2,241 meters.  Back down Plewman to the trail, some down hill and then then the climb up to the top of Old Glory at 2'370 meters, back down and up to the main trail 17km done. Some low grade downhill and finally the first aid station at km 25.  From there we had an out and back to the the top of record ridge at 2,025 meters, and then over to summit Granite Mtn at 2,036 meters.  The trail over to Granite was unique.  A sea of large rocks that we had to navigate through, and then up a small climb over the rocks.   From here it was a long 5km descent down a service road to the base of red mountain.  Now here is where the real fun started.  Straight up Red Mountain starting at km 38 - it's about 600 meters in 1.7km. Followed by what would have been some sweet downhill if I had not been so wiped from the climb.  Final aid station and final 4 km - wouldn't you know - one final climb to just before the finish line where we finished on a slight downhill track.  Thankful it was over!!

 Anyways it's not the run I want to talk about.  I want to tell you about Rene Unser, the race director.  She is a joy to be around.  Not only is she the organizer, owner and race director of the event, but she also runs P.A.C.E. Sports Fitness, a trail running coach in Kelowna, BC , Canada.  (P.A.C.E. - Positive Attitude Changes Everything).  But let me focus on the race, because it was here that I truly was able to figure out what I wanted to tell you about Rene.

Rene is somebody who has found their sweet spot in life.  She is doing, I believe what she is meant to do.  And it's not coaching people how to run - although she is a fantastic coach.  Rene makes people feel good about themselves.  She stood out at the finish line with her pompoms and gave everybody a hug.  Not a high five, not a congratulatory handshake, but a ginormous hug.  When you arrive at the finish line she has a personalized message for everyone, she makes you feel that she has been waiting there, all day, just for you.  :)  It's really quite remarkable and special.

But it also goes beyond that.  She has such a passion and love for what she does, and she connects to people by being honest and vulnerable.  At the awards ceremony you just could not help but see it.  She hand made medals for the event at the local pottery studio, she selected 1st 2nd and 3rd prizes that held meaning to her, and passed that meaning onto the recipients.

She has compassion for people.  The evening before the race she spoke to people on the trail perhaps getting injured, or tired and unable to continue.  She said anybody that stops in one of her races and forgoes their race to help a fellow racer would forever have free entry into her race.  That evening at the awards ceremony 5 people were honoured and singled out for their assistance to people that needed it.  And true to her word, all five will forever have free entrance into her race.

The Dalai Lama has always said that we need to have connections with people.  These connections allow for us to be happy, and kind and compassionate.  I am more reclusive myself.  My study of compassion and looking for examples of it in everyday life has enabled me to slowly be able to open up more to people.  I am now looking for peoples stories, and try to share more of my own stories.  But it has not just been my study of compassion, but it has also been thru having contact with people like Rene, and other in the running group that really has shown me how great it can be.  Grateful to have these people in my life! 

Stories

I trail run with a group of people.  We run over mountains training for distances of 50km and longer.  I love it.  I love running with the group.  They are a truly compassionate and inspirational bunch!  Our running coach fosters that feeling in our group.  Training and doing well is important, but supporting each other, being kind and engaging new members of the group is also important.  She has truly done a excellent job of building community, and inspiring us all.

One of the gals I run with is working on her masters degree - I believe it's her second masters.  She is writing (in a nutshell) about the stories that people tell, and how they affect us, and push us to have perhaps a deeper understanding of who we are, who others are, and how it all fits together in this crazy place we call our world.  At least that is how I interpreted it.  You can read her blog here and see what you think.

She's in here somewhere!!

The connections we make with people are integral to our wellbeing, and to becoming a more compassionate individual.  We need each other to increase our level of happiness.  Sharing our thoughts and experiences through the rhetoric that we call our stories enables us to build our sense of community and acceptance amongst the tribe.  We are all interconnected, and we are all human beings with something unique and special to share.

Sadly, this sharing of stories can be a very difficult thing for some people.  But because of people that reach out beyond what is expected and keep sharing their stories, and asking for yours, it eventually maybe becomes a little bit easier to finally make that connection.

Carrie, who is working on her thesis, is exceptional at sharing and drawing out the stories of others.  She is genuinely interested and has a wonderful capacity for making people feel more at ease.  The topic she is writing about is certainly something she can be passionate about.

While it may not be everybody's forte, we can certainly all learn to be better.  Let's focus on being compassionate towards each other, and the next time you meet a new person, or a distant acquaintance, why don't you try to get them to tell you a story?  Maybe even after sharing one of your own?!

A Force for Good

I am reading this book A Force for Good.   It's about the Dalai Lama's vision for the world.  The Dalai Lama consistently talks about being compassionate, and kind.  He wants us to care about one another; regard each other as equals, regardless of color, economic status, country of origin etc.  He's teaching us a concept of universal oneness.

I have never personally met this man, but I have attended his talks, and all I can say is that I love being in his presence.  I don't know how to explain it, but he exudes such a feeling of goodness, and everything that is right with our world.  Every now and again our world shines with this type of individual.  But we need more.  We all need to model after these individuals that represent peace and goodness, to make our world a better place.

One of the places he suggests we start is of course with ourselves.  I touched briefly on this with an earlier post called Practice A Little Bit of Self Discipline.

He expands on that by asking that we take responsibility for managing our minds, and mastering control over negative emotions, and cultivating our positive emotions.  He asks us to challenge the status quo of corruption, bias, greed, and look towards reaching out and caring for others, protecting each other from injustices and having concern for our environment.

Most of his solutions are tied to compassion.  But being compassionate is far more reaching than you may think.  It's not just being kind, but it's also protecting yourself from harm, and negative influences.  It's about standing up for your rights and the rights of others while recognizing that you do this from a core point of compassion.  It's about controlling your emotions so that you stand up from a position of clarity, and not anger.  It's about acting from positive emotion, not the negative or destructive emotions that often fuel our desire for standing up for ourselves.  It's recognizing that we need to stand up from a position of integrity, and protect what is right, but not diminish or harm the person that has wronged us.

It's great to think about being compassionate, but without action it mean very little.  He urges us to act.  Without action, compassion is simply an idea, or a word.  It doesn't really mean anything until we act on it.  So start with yourself.  Be kind, help others, stand up from a position of clarity.  Confront what is wrong and stand up for those that cannot stand up for themselves.

It is for these reasons that we must learn to control our emotions, and our minds.  It's a great book, a recommended read.  I'll probably be writing a little more about it.