Be Compassionate - Pass It On

I was browsing through the November/December 2009 issue of Spirituality & Health magazine and came across "The Compassion Project's Compassion Exercise"

The Compassion Project is part of a book containing 30 exercises. The book is called Resurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Palmer.

Compassion Exercise"Honesty with one's self leads to compassion for others."

Objective: Increase the amount of compassion in the world.

Expected Results: A personal sense of peace.

Instructions: This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate (airports, malls, parks, beaches, etc). It should be done on strangers, unobtrusively, from some distance. Try to do all five steps on the same person.

Step 1 - With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his/her life."

Step 2 - With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life."

Step 3 - With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness, and despair."

Step 4 - With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his/her needs."

Step 5 - With attention on the person, repeat to yourself:
"Just like me, this person is learning about life."

I am going to give this a try - it certainly can't hurt. Give it a try and see how you feel.