Compassion is not simply for chaplains, counselors or churchgoers; it is for all as we are all members of communities. As someone who has been given, what I now determine to be the blessing of being out of full time work, I am using the time I have to glean life lessons that I can share with others.

Though I am a staunch defender of Gen-Y, I believe every generation, including my own, could use a dose of compassion. What is compassion? It is awareness and sympathy for another’s suffering. The attitude, “It did not happen to me, therefore it does not affect me nor matter to me,” is quite frankly wrong. It also demonstrates a misunderstanding of the human condition. As I am not currently focused on the daily office activity my eyes have opened to what are at times the deplorable condition of the human spirit.

A question I carry with me, “Who are people, who’s not, and who decides?” challenges one to look at the world in which he or she lives and recognize not simply the status held by others but the conditions which affect their everyday life. My choice to live a life of compassion in the menial, mundane and magnificence of life allows me to grow and by virtue helps others to do the same.

The withholding or reserving of compassion for the instances of extreme crisis leads to a delay in the development of leadership skills. It is in the everyday that character is built. The failure to recognize one’s hurt is to deny our own humanity. When you acknowledge a wrong or someone else’s suffering, even one that occurs on the periphery of your life, you are saying, “This matters.” Many times all people want to know is that you care, this aids in reaffirming their identity as a member of society.

For more on compassion and leading in trying times check out the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business’ Center for Positive Organizational scholarship.