No Place to Call Home

The current housing crisis in the United States gives us plenty of opportunity to practice compassion. Some say they have no sympathy for people who bought houses they couldn't afford. But the story is much more complex, with so many now suffering the fallout. Homeowners who would sell if they could, trapped in the continuing downturn. Neighbors whose property values plummet with each new foreclosure on the block. Lenders who counted on real estate values rising ever higher, justifying reckless loan terms. Renters who find themselves suddenly homeless as landlords lose houses to banks. Children who must leave friends, schools, even favorite possessions, in the wake of their family's financial ruin.

"Bill Moyers Journal" addressed the issues eloquently on its July 18 program. The episode makes clear that there is plenty of heartache to go around.

One category of victims you only occasionally hear about are the animal companions abandoned when owners or renters must go to a temporary home or shelter that won't permit animals. No Paws Left Behind is doing something about it, and you can, too, by visiting its Web site.

You can do something about the human toll, too, just by suspending the assumption that "they got what they deserve." Encourage your local leaders to come up with solutions for managing abandoned houses and relocating renters. Start a helpful dialog on your local newspaper's editorial page. Recognize that homelessness is fast on the rise and looks surprisingly like the folks next door.

Share the Difference, Win the Revolution

Like minds Sam Davidson and Stephen Moseley have written a book that sounds mighty useful (and slightly familiar!), New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours. You can win a signed copy by sharing your favorite ways to make a difference through the daily choices you make. Why not click on over and express your everyday altruism?

Conquering Cruelty

This past weekend, I attended a conference on animal welfare. Near the end of the day, a fellow attendee confessed to me that she was tired and discouraged. She had spent the weekend viewing acts of extraordinary human cruelty against animals, and despite the efforts of so many compassionate advocates, she couldn’t imagine that behavior changing in her lifetime.

Her despair reminded me of Larry King’s interview with Ingrid Betancourt, who was recently released after being held as a hostage for seven years in the Colombian jungle. When asked to name the worst thing she had to endure, Betancourt didn’t mention a particular torture tactic, or the long years apart from her family, or the effects of a failed escape attempt. After a long, thoughtful silence, she said the worst thing was “realizing that ... human beings can be so horrible to other human beings.”

Being confronted with the human capacity for cruelty can shake our faith to its core. We recognize that there are limits to our reasoned arguments, our pleas for mercy. When we hit the wall of ultimate indifference, we can only look to ourselves for redemption. Our choice is to surrender, to believe that hatred conquers all, or to affirm a more powerful force that elevates all humanity.

Betancourt has triumphed; against all odds, she has already resolved to forgive her captors. In doing so, she reclaims her power. I hope my fellow animal advocate can redirect her energies from anger against those who do harm, to the larger mission of caring for our fellow creatures. Her heart is greater than the conflict at hand, and the innocents need all of its might.

3 Reasons The Difference Still Makes Me Smile

My book, The Difference a Day Makes, was published three years ago, which the industry considers a lifetime. But expressing the humanity we have in common, in simple, daily ways, seems to have a long shelf-life; the book is still selling nicely, and this week, it was the #1 bestseller in its category on Amazon.com. That means our community of Everyday Altruists is growing every day.

And speaking of sales rankings, another thing that makes me happy is the good fortune I had to interview Greg Mortenson as one of the “expert voices” in The Difference a Day Makes. Greg’s book about his personal quest to build schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Three Cups of Tea, was the #1 nonfiction paperback on this week’s Washington Post bestseller list, and it was the first book club choice for Body + Soul magazine readers. Among other experts I had the privilege of speaking with, all of whom are still busy building a better world, are Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States; Sarah Brady, honorary chair of the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence (read my article about her and husband Jim here); and Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength. Having these extraordinary leaders lend remarks to Difference is an honor for which I am truly grateful.

A third thing that brings a smile to my face is an email I received recently from a reader in New Zealand. Having discovered my book in her local library, she wrote: “Living in a world where so much negativity abounds, hearing or reading comments of an encouraging nature has such a positive effect on my soul. We encouragers need all the encouragement we can get.”

Let us all be encouragers. Tips for green living are all the rage right now, and I’m glad the first chapter of Difference is about Nature Nurture. But what makes me hopeful is that the other chapters offer the same simple recipes for fighting poverty and homelessness, ending violence and hunger, honoring animals and elders and more. So while we’re waiting for the Al Gore of compassionate living to come forth and make it trendy, why not start our own quiet revolution? Tell your friends, engage your social network, write to your newspaper, adopt The Difference a Day Makes as your community group’s project. I guarantee you'll smile.

Curbing Offensive Phoning

Sometimes "compassionate action" is as simple as employing common consideration. July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month. Have you gotten so accustomed to those voices in your ear that you're ignoring the humanity around you? Try to mind your wireless manners by:

> Letting calls go to voicemail when you're in others' company.
> Turning your phone off, or to vibrate, at public performances, presentations and ceremonies; at the library, movies and museums; and in any place where a ringing phone will disrupt an otherwise peaceful environment.
> Foregoing calls while driving. If you're paying attention to the road, you can't give your call buddy the full attention he or she deserves. And no one likes their conversation to be interrupted by tunnels, toll booths or other interferences. You'll be doing your fellow drivers a favor, too.
> Using text messaging to receive and send urgent, but brief, news.
> Recognizing that you're not alone. Do you really want a store-ful of strangers to hear the details of your love life?

For more on cell phone courtesy, check out Modern Manners Guy.