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Activity: Learning Outcome 1: April 2021

Today I listened to the podcast, "Reflecting on Suffering with Compassion" by Ruth King on the 10% Happier meditation app. The talk begins with Ruth King talking about police brutality in the Black community. She looks at the lives of Black people that were taken police brutality, domestic terrorism, and systemic racism. King offers compassion to those in power and those who take power. She asks us to sit with our feelings on racial suffering and see how we feel so that we can move through the world with more awareness and sensitivity. By doing this practice we are then able to notice the depth of racial injustices. The key point of her talk as well as the key to this practice is compassion. To her definition, “compassion is the wish that everyone without exception is free from pain and suffering and its causes.” King acknowledges the heavyweight on the body, heart, and mind that racial suffering holds, yet suggests we continue this practice so that we can become more mindful. 

This podcast allowed me to walk away with a few things:

1. By doing this practice we are able to better understand ourselves and the suffering of others.

2. Practicing compassion allows us to open our hearts and relieve our minds.

3. We must check in with ourselves and our own hearts in order to respond to a situation.

This podcast made me very curios about a few things (some questions I now have):

1. What specific exercises (ex: deep breaths) can we do to remain calm in these moments?

2. How can we offer compassion to everyone when in such difficult times?

3. What is the impact on ourselves and our hearts when we show this compassion?

This is learning outcome 1 because I identified my own strengths and developed areas for growth. From this, I have learned that I could better open up my heart but also learned that curiosity is a strength of mine.

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