One of the promises I made to myself and the Universe during my cancer journey has been to broaden my scope of awareness. That’s not always easy. In living our day to day lives we can get caught up in the grind and mundane routine of getting up in the morning, going to work (whether inside or outside the home), trying to check off all the items on our to-do list, going to bed and waking up to perform the entire exercise all over again.

We want the best for ourselves and our families and in trying to achieve our goals can start to take a very myopic view of the world around us. I have been blessed for the positive by my fight against colon and breast cancer. Every morning I shout out, thank you God for waking me up to see another day and curing my body of cancer. Material possessions don’t have the same meaning anymore. At the conclusion of every day, I pray for the safety, health, and happiness of my family and friends. 

Love and compassion, as the Dalai Lama said, is essential for humans to survive. Once we lose the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and realize that just because it doesn’t affect us doesn’t mean it’s not important for those affected. I am a proud, progressive, liberal and want the best for mankind. People have the right to live their lives the way they want and it’s not my job or right to dictate for others.

Love and compassion mean respecting the rights of others and not placing judgment on our fellow man and woman. If what you want hurts someone else it’s unacceptable. Plain and simple. Your rights do not trump the rights of others and being inclusive is an essential requirement of being human.

We can’t survive living in a world of hate. Hate is about fear of the unknown. Fear of others and sadly about hating oneself. I believe it all boils down to this quote from Buddha:

So, in the name of Love and Compassion, let’s reach out a helping hand and pray for the mercy and grace of us all.