giving the gift of compassion

I don't have a lot of money to give gifts this year.  (Heck, I never have money for gift-giving, what am I talking about?) I did come up with the perfect gift for quite a few people though, and I wish it was possible.  I'd love to give them the ability to be compassionate human beings.  I'm encountering into more and more people who seem to be lacking it.

Some of my gifts of compassion would go to the following people:

Our General Manager:  One of my co-workers told him that she hasn't been able to sleep because she's stressed over our the increase in the cost of our health insurance.  She doesn't know if she can continue to pay for the insurance that will now cost her $75 more per paycheck while it covers less, or if she'll have to drop down to the mini-insurance that is more affordable but only somewhat helpful in emergencies, and hope that she and her son stay healthy.  His response was, "Well, you had the chance to voice your opinion when you voted in November."

People Who Turn Any News Story Into An Excuse To Spew Hateful Words To Other People:  Of course, the current point would be the mass-killing in Connecticut.  It didn't even take a full day before all of the political finger pointing and name calling ensued.  Some of the things I read broke my heart apart into even smaller slivers than it already was - especially when it came from people who I at some point considered to be friends. No listening, no reasoning, no solutions, just hate for anyone who doesn't think the same way as they do.  And speaking of...

The Westboro Baptist Church:  I don't think I need to elaborate on that one.

The Mother At The Band Concert:  She had a child who was talking somewhat loudly at the beginning of my son's middle school band concert.  Because the child was wearing a padded helmet, I'm guessing that she probably has special needs of some sort and possibly isn't very good at controlling her volume.  Instead of taking the child out of the room to let off a little steam, she proceeded to swear at her, telling her to "Shut the fuck up" and keep her "goddamn mouth shut because the concert was starting" and we "didn't want to listen to her shit" in a volume that was two times as loud as the child's.  I understand that all of us parents have our moments of weakness, (gods know I have), but sometimes you can just tell when it's a common occurrence.

Myself:  I usually think of myself as a compassionate person, but there are times I know I'm lacking it, especially when dealing with the people I've already listed.  It's not something I'm proud of, but I know it and am working on it. 

Since we can't actually give the ability to be compassionate as a gift, we need to be the compassionate ones and lead by example or fill the gaps left by those who are lacking.  It's the best we can do for everyone.