BERKELEY — Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.

In contrast to "every man for himself" interpretations of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychologist and author of "Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life," and his fellow social scientists are building the case that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, altruistic and compassionate traits.

They call it "survival of the kindest."

Three weeks after the Haiti earthquake, experts at leading aid group World Vision, say the impact of a crippling recession and high unemployment on disaster donations has surprised them. The charity's disaster fundraising expert Randy Strash says Haiti is an example of "compassion resilience," or Americans' ability to remain generous in a mega disaster even as the economy makes giving difficult.

Hi Everyone!  I just spotted an article by Elizah Leigh on Causecast and wanted to bring it to your attention.  Mentoring can be a strong positive force in the life of a young person.  I am grateful to the many mentors who helped me become the person that I am today and I now mentor others as a way to "pay forward" the gifts of knowledge and confidence that were given to me.
Here is an excerpt:  “...January happens to be National Mentoring Month, a time in which both the government and nonprofit organizations across the nation are shining the spotlight on the importance of mentoring... 

This is an in interesting piece about a new charter that is being founded:

"The Charter of Compassion comprises leading thinkers from many different faiths. It is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more important, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life. Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other, and lies at the heart of all religious and ethical systems."

Click Here to read the entire article or Click Here to visit charterforcompassion.org.

The Dalai Lama addressed an audience of 16,000 Vancouver teens on Tuesday with a simple message: compassion, or warm heartedness, is the only way achieve a safe, peaceful, happy world.

From Tricycle magazine.  This article on meditation was brought to our attention by Karlene Anderson of Chicago, IL.  It culminates into a powerful insight into compassion.

One person. Half a century. A career of compassion. You may need some tissues handy for this one from The Wenatchee World.

For every download of the new Windows Internet Explorer 8 from this site from June 8, 2009 through September 30, 2009, Microsoft will donate 8 meals to Feeding America to help accelerate and end to hunger in America. If you are going to upgrade to Explorer 8 anyway, this is the way to do it and make a difference at the same time!