The event I chose to attend was a lecture and discussion panel done by Dr. Lisa Thomson Ross, who is a Psychology professor at The College. The panel was titled “The Role of Spirituality to Promote Social Justice” and took place right in our classroom! The discussion began with defining injustice, the many inequalities and Isms in our society and how they have such an impact on our well-being and compassion towards others. How exactly does spirituality tie into that? Dr. Ross went on to present how Justice and Injustice require a standard of self-compassion and again, compassion towards others. Spirituality helps us find that that standard as we attempt to connect with something much greater than ourselves. Many people began to ask, what does that mean? Where do I begin? The simple answer is to begin within yourself.

The idea of self-compassion is one of the first stepping stones to spirituality and social justice. Self-compassion can be practiced in many different ways beginning with mindful acceptance, which is the idea to notice, and not always react. The ability to be aware of every changing problems surrounding ourselves and society is not too difficult, however when we react to all of these problems and express a number of emotions it often leads to self-depletion and depression. Meditation, self-kindness, and common humanity were all ideas presented and I felt quite a connection to many of these issues. I’ve had many problems with self-compassion as I am always focused on my issues and how I can fix them which often leads me to attempt and fight all the emotions rather than accept them. This was when I immediately felt a connection to the lecture and my everyday life.

The idea of self-compassion leads to compassion towards others and how human connectivity can be beneficial for yourself and those around you. The common issue is many people display empathy rather than compassion in terms of human interaction. Compassion then leads to activism. Whether it be individual, a group, or societal, activism is the most crucial area for you to be someone. Don’t get me wrong, everybody is someone, but how do you display yourself? How do others perceive you? More importantly, how do you perceive yourself? While practicing compassion, it has the ability to lead you into a healthier and more beneficial life as compassionate thoughts lead to compassionate behaviors.

In today’s society, there is much more of a push for self-compassion, mainly because of technology. We are constantly chasing entertainment and following other lives, we often forget to follow our own. It’s no easy task to achieve self-compassion, but the most beneficial way is to unplug. Get off the screen, quit wondering what he’s doing, what she’s eating, or what’s their opinion and focus on you. Focus on self-care, relationships, and acceptance. Again, this is something that is not easily achieved and it won’t happen overnight, but take it a day at a time and focus on a path where you can say to yourself, “I am somebody.”

The connection of this Dr. Ross’ presentation and our class shows similar stages of sustainability. In our environment today, change begins with the individual and a build-up of successes over time which eventually become beneficial to ourselves, other people, and the global environment. Self-compassion can lead to so many opportunities, including the love for our plant and our home. Thoughts lead to behaviors which translates into action, however trying to fix all problems at the same time will eventually lead to depletion and I believe that stand true to our actions on the environment today. To be compassionate it takes baby steps rather than jumping around looking for solutions.