My true religion is kindness."—Thich Nhat Hanh

"When we practice loving kindness and compassion we are the first to profit." —Rumi

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The core emotional experience of compassion is allowing another's heart to take up temporary residence inside of ours. Mutual compassion would have the heart sharing fully and willingly returned. While calling compassion a form of empathy, literally meaning to feel with another, is a wonderful start, greater depth of attuning to the emotional meaning of another's experience is essential. The moment your heart is touched by another, that your presence evokes another's presence, when you bring your Thou that invites another's Thou to come forward, is the translucent encounter. It is in this person-to-person encounter, as precious and rich an intimate meeting as known to human beings, that we see most clearly with our hearts in hearing the soul's call.

ADD WATER: A Counter Bullying Journey

WORDS MATTER. Words can bring negative energy into our vibration and affect one on a physical, psychological, or environmental level. People exposed to constant harsh criticism, sarcasm, and taunts, can or may easily internalize the sentiments behind the words. This happens whether in a school or in the home environment, the workplace, in relationships, and in our society. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher, studied the link between the human consciousness and its effect on the molecular structure of water. Emoto's early work explored the possibilities of how water can react to positive thoughts and words, and how polluted water can be cleansed through prayers and positive visualization. HOW DOES THIS WORK IN THE CONTEXT OF BULLYING? Consider the fact that your body is over 70% water, therefore, imagine how quickly the vibration from negative words resonates in your cells.

Bullying is a distinct type of aggression. Research finds that bullies have a distinct psychological makeup. They lack prosocial behavior, and often exhibit extreme bouts of paranoia and hostility while misreading neutral situations and conversations. Many are untroubled by the anxiety which they project onto others, and do not attempt to understand others' feelings. Although most of their peers, staff, and associates dread their presence, they perceive themselves quite positively. Many exist on a continuum ranging from a few narcissistic traits to full-blown personality disorder. Bullies are found at all levels in corporate and public service settings, reveal themselves in friendships and between mates disguised as loyalists; and they can be a teacher, parent, or caregiver. Children and adults who bully intentionally to hurt others, frequently in a systematic way such as gas lighting, name calling, screaming, threatening, isolating others, spreading rumors, cyberbullying and text messaging vile thoughts, tend to suffer from poor self images. They are skilled at manipulation and rarely take responsibility for their behavior. Studies show that a third of “bully victims” are both bullies and have been bullied themselves. In 2010, School Psychology Quarterly, provided a study about how students who are categorized as bullies not only exhibit significant disruptive or externalizing behavior but also suffers from internalizing symptoms such as depression. The ADD WATER initiative is an "intentional" dialogue and programming based upon studies which represent a comprehensive effort to synthesize research on bullying and victimization; without drawing immediate conclusions from 30-years of research on the subject matter. To this aim, GIFTED also offers clinical  counseling and onsite and virtual school counter bullying programs; certified anger management, certified domestic violence training, and certified

break-through parenting skills training services.