Artistic works by Dox Thrash showed African Americans as real people living their lives instead of as caricatures, which had been common in the past. His work generally focused on the life he knew: the life of an African American in a small town in the 1930s-40s. His work captured and preserved what life was like in his era. In doing so Thrash made sure a community and a people’s story was told, which can be viewed as an act of compassion.
Thompkins Harrison Matteson’s “First Communion in the New World” preserves a very different story. Its more religious focus highlights how important religion was as a unifying symbol for people who had left their home to travel elsewhere. As religion is one catalyst for community building, a work that communicates this serves to enable future community builders to call on its help.
An elephant chased away predators who were eating a deceased elephant. It then gripped the downed elephant’s tusk with its trunk and stood guard for several hours.
A shop owner sets up a stand of free coats in the Winter for those who are homeless and cold. Saranac, NY.
France shows compassion for America and stands in solidarity after the 9/11 attacks.
Citizens band together to clean up the streets after the London Riots.
Michael Gallagher relayed the story of the struggle of mine workers through his works ‘Anthracite’ and ‘Mine Explosion’. The telling of a group’s story that would otherwise be lost to time is a compassionate act.
David Foster Wallace uses the backdrop of the mundaneness of daily life to offer insight regarding empathizing with others and remembering that every person “in the way” in our story is also a complex individual with their own backstory and experiences. In this commencement address to Kenyon College, Wallace reminds us that we aren’t the only person in the room. This particular video struck a chord with me personally since I am a senior about to graduate and enter the working world.
In this clip, two men celebrate making the deal of their lifetime when they successfully find investment in their plan to bet against the US economy. Their older partner/mentor, played by Brad Pitt, is angered by that celebration because he knows that if they’re right it will mean that many Americans will be hurt by the fallout of an economic recession.
Note: Some profanity
Protest against the American Muslim Ban. People who would not be affected by the ban protest alongside people who would, because they all believe that it is wrong.
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