Blog 16 - Blogging on Assignment #4

My Reflection of “Cherishing Each Other: A Conversation with Tara and Father Gregory Boyle”

I am not going to lie, when the video started with a namaste I was a little concerned. I am not someone who enjoys religion or spirituality. However, I am someone who has a great deal of respect for those who do have faith and practice various different religions and spiritualities. Another thing that scared me going into this video was the fact that it started with a man with the title of Father. As someone who grew up in a religion and did not have the best experience with Chrisitanity, it makes me resistant to conversations surrounding the religion. However, I did not want to judge the video at face value and move on and continue watching.

I quickly realized after watching the first few minutes that it wasn’t a discussion based on religion. This made me reflect on the importance of not judging things by their cover, which we all at points find ourselves doing. The experience that Father Boyle had and discussed in the beginning of the conversation was remarkable and very respectable. I wanted to learn more and I'm glad that I kept watching. Throughout the conversation there was extensive continuous conversation of Father Boyle’s experiences in relation to ideas of compassion. The conversation really demonstrated how far acts of kindness can go and how much kindness matters. 

As Father Gregroy went on he discussed Homeboy Industries which he founded and continued to work on which is a rehabilitation and gang prevention facility. It is also one of the largest ones that exist in the world and it is right in Los Angeles. I honestly had no idea this was a resource located in Los Angeles. However, I am very passionate about the fact that historically there has been little to no resources available for people transitioning out about tough places like being in prison. Society has been set up in a way that makes it hard for people to come back from their mistakes and also hard for people to make a better life for themselves when their actions may just be a byproduct of the environment that was forced upon them. I have spoken with people who have done similar work as Father Gregory but for people who are leaving prison and it is inspiring how much that little bit of volunteered kindness can be a huge factor in changing the trajectory of people’s lives.

Something else that was a big takeaway for me personally was the idea that compassion is understanding where people are company from. I do believe that having compassion takes people being able to open their hearts and their minds to be more understanding that at the end of the day everyone is human. Naturally, we as humans have many differences, differences in race, religion, income, privilege. We all have differences that make life either worse or better for our lives. However, it is up to us to recognize that we don’t often get to choose these differences and we don’t get to choose how much privilege we have, but we do have the choice to do something about making up for that difference by being kind to everyone. 

Overall, I really loved the root of this video and the message that it was trying to portray. I felt very passionate about the topics that were covered and I agreed with a lot that was said. My only reflection that did not aligned with this video was a personal realization that I have made in my own life, that I value animals over people. Therefore, I dedicate my spare time to animals over people. However, that being said I think it is still fair to recognize that you can still be a kind human even if you aren’t volunteering your time or working on something that benefits the greater good of society. I truly believe that something as small as a compliment or a friendly conversation or an offer for help can go a long way in making someone’s day or life better.