How hard is it to be compassionate in 2012?

At a time when economies are failing around the world and gun violence is tearing through the headlines, it's hard to find and extend compassion for those around you. Acclaimed author and religious historian Karen Armstrong asks people "to look into your own heart, discover what gives you pain, and then refuse under any circumstance whatsoever to inflict that pain on anyone else." 

WAMC - Northeast Public Radio is teaming with the Poughkeepsie Public Library District this summer to get people talking about compassion and civility in our communities. Please take a moment to answer a few questions about the role compassion plays in your daily life in these hectic times. Your response will inform reporting at WAMC and will be shared with journalists only in the newsrooms of the Public Insight Network. (If you have any questions about this project, contact Katie Britton at kbritton@wamc.org.)