I do not mean to be morbid, but here we are again. Last week, regarding the massacre of the editorial staff of the satire magazine Charley Hebdo in Paris, I wrote that they killed the court jesters.

A day later, in Salt Lake City, they killed the troubadour.

James Barker, a local musician who lived with a traumatic brain injury acquired while surfing in Panama, was approached as a vagrant and shot by a police officer a block away from the home he'd owned and lived in for the past decade.

Many who saw only the action-filled final moments from the bodycam film, as shown on several TV newscasts, thought the dude had it coming. Those who watched the full, unedited version saw a dozen ways this tragedy could have been averted.

A petition is circulating re. police training. Solutions are being discussed. There will be lobbying. What's needed from all of us right now is compassion. I offer this exercise (from the book  ReSurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness). Do it twice ~ once for each of the men involved.

1. With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: Just like me, this person is seeking some happiness for his life.

2. With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his life.

3. With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.

4. With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: Just like me, this person is seeking to fulfill his needs.

5. With attention on the person, repeat to yourself: Just like me, this person is learning about life.

To the extent that we can grow compassion in ourselves, compassion will grow in our community and the world. There's plenty of people to practice on. Time to get started.

Winter Market