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.

What many of us fail to realize is that with a simple click of the mouse, our worlds open up far and wide, and, along with long lost friends, people we have consciously chosen to close out of our lives come tumbling back in.

Everyone loses touch with their aspiration, and we need the heart to return to what we really care about. All of this is based on developing greater lovingkindness and compassion.

We have chosen three deeply passionately inspired people motivated by meditation who have stepped out of the box and done great things to make life better for others.

I think we are basically looking for a happiness that isn't going to be vulnerable to changing conditions. So that's what I am calling real happiness. We get it, I think, from happy inner resources.

The legacy of civility, beyond our personal hopes for our families and loved ones, is imperative in our own country and the world.

Think back. When did you last resist receiving what was yours for the asking? What goes? How do you get derailed?

Yoga means to cultivate your energy in such a way that gradually it breaks the physical limitations and elevates you to the highest level of awareness, the flowering of human potential.

We thought Dad was doing errands on Wednesday afternoons... when in fact, my 91-year-old father was visiting a girlfriend in the village.

How different our world would be if we were all just a bit more compassionate and kind! So what is it that prevents us? Kindness is free, it never goes bad, it has no sell-by date, we can never get enough of it, and we can never give enough of it.

I was glad to see the military acknowledging and addressing the separateness created by our all volunteer army, because I think it has profound consequences for our engagement with the men and women who serve.

It seems that a continued and intentional practice of compassion can not only change our lives individually, but the ripple effect can be significant.