COMPASSION: The missing ingredient to solving the world's problems.

Last night I was privileged to attend a screening and Q&A with this year's Oscar-nominated documentaries. First of all, what an incredible group of films this year! It's hard to say which films deserve the Academy Award because they're all inspirational, and they all raise consciousness of important issues.

In the short doc category, I found myself particularly touched by the story of women cancer patients who visit a salon, "Mondays at Racine." I related to the notion that no matter how good of a person you are, you may still get sick or have terrible life events befall you. This certainly was the case when my sister Hannah was killed by a drunk driver at age 25.

In the feature category, I was struck by the nominees - 2 films about the Israel-Palestine situation, a film about the activism that helped change AIDS from a death sentence to a long-term illness, a film about sexual assault in the American military, and a film about a singer who finds his niche on the other side of the world.

Since all these features are amazing and expertly crafted, I tried to ask myself, which one would raise consciousness in a way that could really change things the most in our broken world? I don't yet have an answer to that, but in the discussion with the filmmakers following the screening, one of the directors spoke these simple words: NONVIOLENCE WORKS. This resonated so strongly for me I cried. (Not for the first time during the night!)

I truly believe that as humans we get into cycles. One group is oppressed by another, they turn around and oppress others. A child is abused and grows up to be angry or abusive. Cycle, cycle, cycle. The only way to exit this vortex and begin a new, more positive path is compassion. Slowing down, feeling our feelings, allowing ourselves the space and time and patience to cry and process. Looking at the other not as the source of our problems but as another equally flawed individual. At its heart, compassion is about self-responsibility. I am not going to blame you for my problems and use that as an excuse to hurt you. I am going to accept that shit happens and move forward as an adult. I might have to give something up in order to do that. I might have to mourn the loss of a fantasy world in which every debt is paid equally. But I can hear you, I can love you, I can accept you. And in that place, I can love myself.