I believe that mindfulness laced with consideration for others executed at the smallest scale can actually change the world. Usually we tell people to think bigger, but in this case maybe thinking smaller could be very powerful.

Maybe compassion is the elixir of life. Perhaps the reason we've never found the mythical philosopher's stone is because we've always searched for something outside of ourselves. Compassion is an inside job.

The Buddhist approach is to begin by developing a base of clarity, strength and well-being within oneself, and then to work hard to extend the benefits toward the welfare of all beings.

Neuroscientist Tania Singer is planning to train caregivers, nurses and doctors in compassion meditation. This would to allow them to offer altruistic services to those in pain without themselves suffering from empathic distress.

Buddhism teaches that in order to transform our world, we must transform ourselves. We must cultivate the capacity to be genuinely concerned about the welfare of others.

Causes and conditions set the stage for our attitudes toward the world and we can and do affect them. It is practical to train our minds so that we're not governed by our negative patterns.