Let’s Catch You Up
By Pushpa Iyer and Jacob Dwyer
When we launched Compassionate Courage in late spring-early summer, we knew there were some things that we needed to do. To share our excitement and our passion with the world, we needed a website. A website demanded a logo, and through a process of brainstorming that took us months, we decided on having two puzzle pieces fit each other, with each piece representing compassion and courage. We think compassion and courage always go together; they fit together, but they can be separated so that you can focus on each one of them. But once you understand and develop both compassion and courage, the two pieces will fit neatly to become one -- Compassionate Courage.
As we worked on the logo, we began focusing on the colors that represented us. Pink and Red were easy - Pink, as we all know, symbolizes love and kindness. For us, pink was compassion. Red represents courage. We also agreed to have the colors black, and grey represent us. Black stands for power, the power that is in all of us! The color grey represents balance, and we felt this fitted well with our approach, which emphasizes the inclusion of all perspectives and stories.
We began with two main initiatives:
Words hold a lot of power. How we understand our experiences primarily shapes our perception of the power we hold. Even though each word may have a definition in the dictionary, our perspectives, background, and identities affect how we interpret and react to those words. In recognition of how these invisible distinctions can lead to tangible divisions, the Compassionate Courage sought to establish a safe and brave space where we could better understand the myriad of meanings words hold.
WordView meets on the second Thursday of every month, and we began in June 2021. The words we have discussed are Divisions, Solidarity, and Healing, Harm, and Accountability. On November 11, we will explore Forgiveness. We are so grateful for the small community we have created through these sessions. We are a group that cares, that acts, and at the same time constantly self-reflects. If you’d like to join us, RSVP here.
When was the last time someone truly asked how you are doing? This past year people globally have seen unprecedented levels of uncertainty, confusion, and division. With the health and safety constraints posed by COVID-19 hindering human interaction, we at Compassionate Courage grew concerned about the growing impact of many people worldwide continuing with unaddressed pain. With this in mind, we started with a simple question - “How are you truly doing?” - and sought to develop a deeper understanding of where we as a global society are at through storytelling. In June 2021, we launched the five-question Checking In survey and have since received 161 responses; you can read our findings here.
Self-reflection is a skill that we at the Compassionate Courage Initiative believe needs constant practice. Our blog series Dare We Say… provides a platform for sharing our perspectives and sparks conversations with those around us. Do check out our blog, which includes ones that are an overview of our Word View discussions. If you are interested in publishing a piece on Dare We Say…, please contact us here.
Spreading the Word about Compassionate Courage
Pushpa Iyer detailed the Compassionate Courage approach in the article “Compassionate courage moves beyond ‘cancel culture’ to challenge systemic racism – but it’s hard work” in The Conversation in April 2021. From there, she has continued inviting others to practice empathy in action in brave spaces through many appearances. The articles and videos on this page might be helpful if you seek a deeper understanding of this approach.
We have lots of plans for the coming months. One that we have just announced is the Checking In Campaign. We hope you will join our campaign! We are also preparing to announce training programs, storytelling events and more. Stay tuned!