To care about ourselves, others and earth, is a choice. It’s a deliberate awareness that we take into action, by genuinely listen and respect our own needs, others’ needs, and the environment, not for the sake of politeness or political correctness, but because we want to learn in order to connect and relate better. But how do we find this sense of care, to become a natural way of relating?

Through empathy! When we open our hearts and are present with another person, whether literally in the same room as us, or online, or even watching the news, we can often relate with our own experiences; that we have gone through similar hardship and most of all have felt the same emotions. We all share the same emotions, regardless of our ethnicity, gender and so forth. Anger is anger, grief is grief, fear is fear, regardless of who feels it. In fact, our emotions may be expressed differently according to culture, but are nonetheless the same. And in this sameness, we can find a sense of connection and oneness, that enables us to also extend compassion. Thus, compassion stems from our ability to empathize. Learning to extend compassion is also the way to go, to not become drained or pulled down by our empathy, but instead use it as an understanding that enable us to express genuine concern and care. And remember, we can also share the same feelings of joy and love!

If we all cared about one another on this planet, we would have a more loving world and most of all: Peace.