I am a citizen
Compassion is free
Mutual support, through good relationships with the people around us, turns out to be more effective at keeping us alive than giving up smoking, drinking, having a healthy diet and much more effective than taking medication for high blood pressure. The evidence for this extraordinary impact has only really been uncovered in the last 20 years. The reason why good relationships are so important and so effective is biological. Humans have survived and flourished through care and cooperation, not by waging war and fighting. Survival of the fittest, taught to many of us in schools, is a poor description of human evolution. Survival of the kindest describes the importance of care and compassion in a much clearer way. Traces of the biological processes involved can be found throughout the 600 million years of animal evolution.
Using this information, about the impacts of good social relationships, opens up a wealth of opportunity that not only improves the health of all of us, it gives a sense of belonging and well being that is so often missing in the confusion of the modern world. How we relate to the people around us has a profound impact on both our own sense of self worth and on those around us. Rather than thinking that professional support is best, communities are critical in helping create a more harmonious and healthy world. Communities exist everywhere, in our workplaces, our educational institutions, our places of worship, our community spaces as well as our neighbourhoods. Compassionate communities describes a way of developing a sense of belonging and support in all of these environments.
Compassionate Communities UK is dedicated to help build communities where people feel valued and have sense of belonging. We will be offering a variety of talks, courses and participation discussions on how people can improve health and well being, and how to support those experiencing death, dying, loss and care giving. These include