The influence of compassion

The Ottauquechee River in West Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

2021 is a different year, with a different trajectory. What we know now is a world away from what we knew last year, and we’ve drawn closer to the end of the pandemic, though health experts still urge caution. 

What hasn’t changed is the need for a crucial resource we can always offer each other: compassion. Last year expressions of compassion bloomed well ahead of the springtime flowers, showing love for our neighbors, volunteering, and turning a listening ear to those who needed one. There was a significant feeling of everyone sharing the struggle, confronting the mounting challenges together. People worked together outside of the political trappings of the day, confronting a problem with others in mind.

Clearly, the closer we drew to November, the more challenging it became to separate the political noise and influence of the day from the rest of our lives. All the while, however, compassion continued to bloom, ranging from a group of workers who banded together to fix a woman’s dilapidated home in the fall, to people welcoming neighbors to their homes amid the brutal winter storms in Texas recently. The winds of controversy may have changed the national media spotlight, but they didn’t change our collective heart as a people, which still expresses compassion for others. 

Today, we still reside in a nation in great need of compassion, and this virtue will continue to be key to healing in many situations. Foremost in thought today are the aftermath of the shootings in Atlanta and Colorado, and the hate and violence experienced by Asian Americans in the U.S. In the Atlanta killings, six out of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Investigations continue into the motives behind both shootings. An investigation is also underway of a man who carried five guns and body armor into an Atlanta store Wednesday, according to CNN. 

Hate has taken a variety of forms in recent months, whether violent, verbal or more subtle. We of course condemn it, in all its forms, and we support the victims’ families and communities within the boundless embrace of love. We hope that practical steps can be taken to counteract the pattern of hate. Legislation is one answer taking shape, but another is to cultivate compassion in our own thinking. It is the ultimate antidote to hate, as compassion is based in love and always focused on the needs of others. When we express compassion, it does not stay within the bounds of our own experience. Rather, it spreads its positive influence and blesses others, being a counteractive element to the currents of hate. Let’s allow compassion to take root in our lives and grow, so that it can be shared with others, enrich their lives and strengthen the fabric of our communities and society. Working together, we can build a broader response to hate and violence, and underpin potential solutions with the calm, healing strength compassion inspires.

— Gareth Henderson

Love is still the answer

A snow-topped tree overlooks the water along the Ottauquechee River Trail in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

This week, for the first time, the presidential inauguration will be guarded by 25,000 troops in the nation's capital, with National Guard soldiers there from all 50 states. Also, government buildings are heavily guarded throughout the nation.

That's the current security posture following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, of Vermont, gave a first-hand account of what it's like in Washington D.C. right now, during a phone-in Town Hall with Vermonters on Tuesday.

"If you were in the area, you couldn't get within eight or 10 blocks of the Capitol, the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial or the White House," Welch said. He was sad it had to be that way, because Jan. 20 is supposed to be a day of "public and civic celebration," the congressman said.

But the good news is that the inauguration will go forward, Welch said Tuesday.

"That's going to happen tomorrow, and we're going to get Joe Biden working on COVID and on some economic relief," he said.

On Tuesday night, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris hosted a memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor victims of COVID-19, as the nation passed a total of 400,000 deaths from the virus. It was a powerful image of national mourning, and also an acknowledgement of the tumult of the past year, which has impacted the entire country.

Looking at the image of the 400 lights around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was sobering, but also incredibly inspiring. It was a national moment, at a time in our history where we haven’t had many invitations to jointly reflect as a nation, together. Such a moment is beautifully normal, and something we must do, especially after such a challenging time when we need each other.

Tonight, the country is poised to enter a new time of leadership. It begins with much work to do as a nation. Whatever your political view is, it's clear this will be a time of change during an especially difficult part of our history. But instead of retreating to the comfort of tired political arguments, or sinking into fear, we should look forward more simply: Just start this new chapter with love. That is this country's most powerful protector, which will also serve to strengthen the fabric of our society and unveil new ways we can bridge our differences and work together.

We've felt the sharp edge of political division. Now, we have a great mountain to climb, and many hard steps line the path forward. But only one thing leads up to a better future by fostering genuine collaboration for the greater good. Love breaks patterns of distrust and leavens thought, leaving room for compassion to encourage more constructive, more understanding connections. That is the solution to guide the moment. Love has been the answer before, and still is.

— Gareth Henderson

The value of slowing down

A hillside winter scene off Cloudland Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A newsroom colleague of mine used to have these words taped across the top of his computer monitor: “Slow down”. In my mind, I can still see those big, bold letters, and I understand why they were so important. They were a reminder of something that’s healthy to do, but isn’t always part of an endless cycle of deadlines. You slow down to not only give more thought to what you’re doing, but also to let life’s other components, like family, bless and enrich your experience. 

The lovely non-routine of Christmas Day and the following weekend made me think of this concept a bit more, with the holidays being the ultimate time to slow life down a little. No need to speed up the routine on that weekend at all. Everything has its place, but it happens when it happens. It was a great time to re-engage with the outdoors and get some exercise in, as well. My wife and I got the cross-country skis out at night on Christmas Eve, which was wonderful, and we also got a couple of walks in — including tonight, with the returning chill in the air. I think snowshoeing is also on the list for this week, along with a forecast for more snow, which we love to hear.

The last few days reminded me that slowing the daily routine down helps us refocus on the most important things in our lives. That’s certainly one of the lessons of 2020, to open up to newer, fresher ways to look at life and its blessings. We may have found that the things which bless us the most have been right here with us all along. We just need to slow down and pay attention to what really fulfills us and gives us joy in life.

Those slower moments can be some of the best teachers, and they have a way of letting our better attributes into the picture more often, such as love, compassion and humility. They are our guides in the gloom, and they can show us better paths. If we keep allowing those moments into our experiences, we keep growing, and in many instances we learn what we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Such opportunities show us the grander lessons of life, and learning those with love and humility is what we’re built to do.

— Gareth Henderson

Starting with compassion

The Ottauquechee River flows through Woodstock, Vermont, at dusk. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Understandably, much focus has turned to our struggles, which are daunting. A pandemic, economic hardship, and uncertainties around federal relief — these all add to our fears. 

But in these times, especially when the situation is at its bleakest, we can find some comfort in remembering how we've gotten this far: by helping each other. Many of those efforts have been rooted in compassion, a quality that unites us through loving and caring for each other. This virtue, innate for each one of us, binds us together in the toughest of moments. 

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott referred to this during the first night of Hanukkah on Thursday. 

“The traditions of Hanukkah are rooted in a period of perseverance and triumph for the Jewish people, when a small group overcame the odds to witness a miracle," Scott said in a statement. "This year, we faced some of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. ... But through it all, we leaned on one another and met each obstacle with determined unity."

This provides a chance to consider what we've done amid our shared challenges, Scott added. 

"Let’s focus on all we have achieved together because it should be the kindness and compassion that defines us," he said. "This is the light that will guide us through the dark."

To be sure, we're facing a lot of that darkness today. Vermont and many other states have set daily records for new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks; federal unemployment benefits are expiring in the middle of an economic downturn; and the political divide keeps widening as Congress struggles to advance a new relief bill. The Pfizer vaccine's approval by the FDA was applauded by many, but it's likely to be a matter of months before vaccinations are widely available. 

Even with the major issues facing the country, a spirit of compassion still pervades our daily lives. Neighbors helping each other remains not only a trend, but part of who we are as a people. We've all felt the warmth of the holiday season bringing out the best in people, as it always does, even as we have to forego many of the typical seasonal gatherings. That's a very different feeling from the politics we read and hear about, but it's my hope that a compassionate approach to relationships will increasingly improve discourse at the national level. While none of us holds all the answers to how that should happen, kindness and compassion should be guiding us. That positive approach is natural to us all, and we can forward that progress by making our own approach to life more compassionate. We each have a role to play in the larger story we’re building. Positive impact on that story starts with individuals, we can each put some compassion into the scale, even when we face a mountain of challenges. When we do, we help build a better society, step by step.

— Gareth Henderson

Facing our challenges together

Late-afternoon sunlight breaks through onto Fletcher Schoolhouse Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

When faced with difficult times, Vermonters rise to the challenge and support each other. That's certainly been a strong theme this year during the pandemic, here in New England and elsewhere.

Today, I wanted to highlight a wonderful example of this a bit farther away from home, in the small town of Berry Creek, California. There, a father and his young daughter provided temporary housing for volunteer firefighters who lost their homes to wildfires last month. Actually, Woody Faircloth and his daughter, Luna, have been fulfilling that need since 2018, when they founded a nonprofit that supplies donated RVs for emergency housing, in response to the devastating Camp Fire.

One of the most touching parts of this recent CNN story is no doubt captured in this line: "Even with their own homes gone, the (firefighters) pushed on, evacuating neighbors and battling back the blaze."

Nothing captures the American spirit of love, courage and helping your neighbor, like a story about these firefighters and the people who helped them at their time of need. Today, with the country going through so many challenges, this account is a much-needed reminder of our natural dedication to helping one another. It shows that love and compassion still win out, even in the toughest of times.

— Gareth Henderson