The Power of Unconditional Compassion

The term ‘social justice’ is so widely used, but I struggle to understand what makes a person socially just. Participating in a protest? Donating to charity? Volunteering at a soup kitchen? Helping an old woman cross the street? Going to church every week? Attending a service trip? These are all good deeds that are centered around justice, but does the act of simply doing these deeds make a person socially just?

I personally believe that leading a socially just life involves thinking and acting with an unconditional sense of compassion towards others. The key is that social justice should not be tied to a specific set of actions or deeds, but rather should be a way of life. Instead of putting on a flashy social justice hat each time we decide to help another person, we must always be wearing our invisible social justice hats. If everyone were to live in this way, letting compassion, kinship, and inclusivity be their guide, then the world might no longer need “social justice warriors”; the world may simply be socially just.

In Italy I have encountered numerous individuals who have adopted this compassionate way of living. One example is a woman named Anna, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting through my internship. She shows up to english class each week with cookies, juice, paper, and pens for everyone, despite her financially vulnerable situation. Anna makes everyone feel welcome upon their entry into the class, and continuously praises each individual for their courage and improvement when it comes to learning english. I can safely say Anna is one of the most compassionate human beings I have ever known, and one day after class I decided to express my appreciation for her generosity and kindness. What she said to me in response will forever be ingrained in my memory: “My dear Tori, I am not so special. If someone needs help it is just logical for me to do anything in order to help them.” As a result of loving others unconditionally, Anna is promoting justice and equality. Anna is truly a social justice warrior in every way, and someone I aspire to emulate.

These past few weeks have been really wonderful! I have had the opportunity to travel, to reflect, to meet new people, and so much more. Here are some of the highlights:

For my Immigration and Globalization class we are required to do service learning, and I was finally assigned to my service site two Thursdays ago. I am volunteering with an organization called Arca di Noe that works with migrants (specifically adolescents) living in Italy. The project I am helping with is an afterschool program at a high school in Bologna, which seeks to foster relationships and understanding between migrants and Italian students. Italians tend to hold racist and xenophobic views towards migrants, so this program serves as a way of breaking down these preconceived notions and encouraging students to view migrants in a more humanistic and compassionate way. About seven adolescent migrants from Arca di Noe come to the program each week, and there they do various activities with the students such as performing skits, exchanging cultural fables, learning Italian, studying each others’ history, and doing science experiments. I am incredibly impressed with the way the Italian students have welcomed the migrants, as it is evident that they want to get to know them and understand more about where they come from. My role in this program is to help out with whatever is needed, build relationships with the students and migrants, and serve as an italian-english translator when necessary. I may not be doing much in the grand scheme of things, but I feel very humbled and privileged to be witness to such a beautiful, inspiring, and progressive program. Last week I was talking with one of the migrants after the program, and he expressed to me how excited he was for us to become better friends. He said: “We have so much to learn from each other because we have lived such different lives in such different places. I am so thankful to know you.” This really warmed my heart, and provided me with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation for the rest of my time here. One of the coolest parts about service is the reciprocity of the benefits, as each person involved should be both a giver and a receiver. I have found this fact to be true in all of my past service experiences, but it especially resonates with me in the context of my work with Arca di Noe. I am really looking forward to going back this week!

Last weekend I went on a social justice retreat, and it was a great opportunity to slow down, reflect, journal, discuss, and listen. We took a bus to the bottom of San Luca (a beautiful church in the countryside of Bologna), and there we were met by a Jesuit priest. He gave us each a paper with four reflective questions on it, and then told us to walk alone to the top of the church while thinking about our answers (the walk to the top of San Luca is very steep and takes about 30 minutes). This was a wonderful exercise, as it allowed us to take a break from the busyness and noisiness of our lives and just be alone with our breath and thoughts. Once we reached our destination, we regrouped and began talking about various topics regarding social justice. We specifically talked about our experiences as volunteers and interns at various organizations throughout Bologna, which was interesting and valuable to speak about and listen to. We also discussed our American identity, the privilege that comes along with it, and the fact that we must be aware of this privilege when engaging in social justice activities. The second half of the retreat was mostly focused on migration, due to the fact that most of us are working with migrants at our service sites and internships. We discussed the importance of being gentle and compassionate when asking migrants about their journeys, as many migrants’ journeys to Italy were challenging, emotional, and overall terrifying experiences. The group I am studying abroad with is incredibly intelligent and insightful, so it was super interesting to hear their thoughts and perspectives throughout the retreat. The church that we had the retreat in was also absolutely beautiful, which made the whole experience even more special.

The past few weeks at my internship have been great! I am starting to understand my role there a little better, and I have had the opportunity to strengthen my relationships with many individuals at the Happy Center. Last week Chiara actually let me lead the english class, and it went really well. The activity I planned was for everyone to draw someone or something that was important to them, and then explain why. Some people drew their siblings, family heirlooms, or other knick knacks that were of personal value to them, but many others took the exercise in a unique direction. One man drew a peace flag that he had designed, one woman drew a jar that was labeled “the jar of life”, and another man drew a ghost that represented his spirituality. These three drawings provoked great conversations about peace, the meaning of life, religion, and more. The peace flag in particular led to a great conversation about how we think peace can be achieved, and hearing everyone’s insightful answers made me very happy and emotional. The man who drew the peace flag had a beautiful answer, saying, “love is the medicine that our world needs.” I am so thankful to be surrounded by such inspiring people at the Happy Center.

This weekend I went to Cologne, Germany with Kelly, Michael, and Ellie, and it was so much fun! We stayed in a very nice (but cheap) hostel in the student district, so we were near a lot of cool restaurants, bars, and parks. Upon arriving late Friday afternoon, we explored the area near our hostel and went to a really pretty park with a pond in the middle of it. We got some beers and sat by the water, just talking and taking in the scenery; it was absolutely amazing. We then decided to find somewhere to eat, so we walked around looking for a reasonably priced authentic German restaurant. It took awhile, but we ended up finding a cute restaurant with tons of plants and candles all around it. I ordered a steak with a baked potato and salad, and everyone else got schnitzel (I tried their schnitzel though!! It wasn’t too bad). We stayed there for about three hours, enjoying our meal and each other’s company. Afterwards we decided to grab some beers and french fries, and then hung out in the hostel for a while. The next day we woke up pretty early and walked to the cathedral in the city center. It was about a half hour walk, but we didn’t mind (we have to walk that far to get to class in Bologna anyways haha). The cathedral was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and we spent a good amount of time just wandering around inside it. We then climbed the tower in the cathedral, which was really difficult but absolutely worth it. We had to climb 533 steps up a tiny spiral staircase, but the view from the top of the tower was simply breathtaking. After visiting the cathedral, we decided to grab some panino kebabs (these are slowly becoming my favorite food) and had a picnic on the rhine river. It was very lovely, and we even saw a proposal! Next we went to a cool chocolate museum, where I purchased some delicious gummy bears. After that, we went to a sports bar in order to watch the FC Cologne soccer game. It was so much fun, as all of the Germans around us were really invested in the game and kept singing and shouting whenever anything happened. We stayed there until the game was over, then made our way back to the student district for dinner. We ended up eating at a burger place near our hostel and then headed back to our room to get ready to go out that night. We hung out in the hostel for a little while, and then on our way out we met an Australian guy named Matthew. He was staying in the room next door to us, and asked if he could come out with us. We of course said yes, and he ended up staying with us for the rest of the night. First we all went to a karaoke bar, which was very fun. We sang Country Roads by John Denver, and some British guys that we met sang Sweet Caroline. We hung out there for a while and then went to a few other bars before going home. Overall it was a really fun night, and a great way to end our weekend in Cologne. Kelly, Michael, and Ellie were so much fun to travel with, and I am incredibly thankful for the beautiful moments, conversations, and experiences that we shared together.

My time here is absolutely flying by, but I am trying my best to treasure every moment. I am filled with gratitude on a daily basis, as I am constantly moved by the people and experiences that have become part of my routine here in Bologna. Thanks for reading!