When feeling reactive emotions like anger or blame, pause and take the time to investigate what lies beneath them, such as fear, grieving, and ultimately, a deeper sense of caring.
Utilize the RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) mindfulness practice to awaken compassion by acknowledging difficult emotions, fully letting them be, exploring their underlying causes, and meeting them with kindness.
Develop the capacity to be present in the here and now, fully seeing and feeling what arises moment to moment, which reduces reactivity, increases equanimity, and allows you to tolerate difficult feelings.
Make it a daily practice to quiet your mind and connect with your deepest longings and aspirations, asking ‘What most matters?’ to ensure your actions are guided by the compass of your heart.
Actively participate in compassionate activism, as engaging in action absorbs anxiety and is the beginning of uprooting suffering, seeding the world you long for.
Actively work to communicate with those who hold different views, stretching beyond your comfortable silos to create quality relationships and foster peacebuilding, which is crucial for democracy.
Practice Metta (loving-kindness or friendliness) by reflecting on the inherent goodness in others and their universal desires for love, safety, and happiness, which warms the heart and keeps the flow of caring open.
When outcomes or situations continue to distress you, allow that distress to serve as a portal to reconnect with caring, rather than letting it lead to anger and blame.
Begin the practice of compassion by first arousing it towards whatever is happening within yourself, as this inner work enables you to see others with a wider and deeper perspective.
After cultivating inner compassion, consciously ask yourself, ‘What is love asking for me right now?’ to guide your actions from a place of genuine caring.
Recognize that you are not in control of external outcomes; instead, focus on what you can do, acting from a place of clean fuel, and then release attachment to specific results.
Integrate prayer and meditation into your activism and work, as leaders like Desmond Tutu and Gandhi demonstrated that this inner training provides the necessary soul force and alignment for powerful outer actions.
Practice daily meditation specifically dedicated to cultivating a sense of goodness in others, as exemplified by Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment.
Lean in and get more proximate with where suffering exists, whether by listening deeply to friends’ experiences or engaging with diverse groups, to allow yourself to be touched and motivated to act.
Especially in times of fear and animosity, use your words responsibly by avoiding dehumanization and asking if your language serves wisdom, love, and healing, rather than perpetuating violence.
Act together with others, taking refuge in interdependent, interrelated, loving connection (Sangha) to reduce anxiety, feel a larger sense of belonging, and experience shared caring.
To cultivate Metta towards challenging individuals, imagine them as children, wounded, on their deathbed, or after they’ve passed away, to access a sense of their spirit and tenderness.
When caught in blame and anger, recognize that under anger there is always something you care about; allow yourself to move through the anger into grieving to feel what you truly care about and begin the healing process.
When encountering someone who seems like ’the other side’ or is acting in harmful ways, ask yourself, ‘Where does it hurt?’ to cultivate compassion and understand their underlying pain and vulnerability.
Actively seek a lived, felt experience of interdependence with the living world—through meditation, nature, or relationships—as this direct experience motivates action and love for the earth and each other.
Cultivate a quality of trust and openness to experience reality directly, drawing on the fullness of your wisdom and care, which acts as a defense against losing aliveness and immediacy.
Do not act from hatred, anger, or blame, as these approaches will only perpetuate cycles of violence and suffering, remembering that ‘hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed.’
Actively work to evolve consciousness by acting based on compassion, moving from a perception of separation (‘us, them’) to a sense of belonging (‘we’) to address global crises.
To bridge divides and foster connection, share personal stories and photos of loved ones lost to shared challenges, allowing collective grief to reveal shared care and belonging.
Begin Metta practice by sending good wishes (e.g., ‘May you be happy, healthy, live with ease’) to people with whom it’s easy to feel affection, gradually widening the circle to more difficult individuals as your capacity grows.
When it is difficult to feel Metta towards challenging individuals, forgive yourself for that natural aversion and armor, and build your capacity by starting where it is easier to feel affection.
Learn to feel and tolerate your feelings, as this ability is the ground of compassion, allowing you to touch and feel the suffering in your own body and in each other’s in order to care and want to extend yourself.
Train in seeing the vulnerability and hurt in all beings, acting from care rather than anger, and strategically from care, not blame, recognizing sides but sensing what’s beyond them.
When experiencing trauma, begin by bringing compassion to your own inner life and pain before attempting to extend compassion to others, as trauma can temporarily shut down relational networks.
After reflecting on your deepest aspiration, consciously sense what specific actions will best serve this aspiration, which helps to anchor it in your day-to-day life and reduce anxiety.
Dedicate regular time, such as a day a week like Gandhi, for total silence, prayer, and meditation to go inward and ensure your outer actions are aligned with your heart.
Acknowledge your nervous system’s sensitivity to suffering and global decline; instead of numbing out, engage with inner meditations to quiet your mind, down-regulate intensity, and connect with caring.