Today’s Excerpt: Opening Activity

Show love for others in need.

Watch “The Present” (4-min video) by Jacob Frey, which shows a boy learning how to be more compassionate. (If your family has already seen this video, we’ve included an alternative below.)

Notice how:

• The mom feels compassion for her son. She knows he is frustrated about his situation and she wants to do something to ease his suffering.
• The boy initially rejects the puppy and doesn’t want to feel empathy. The puppy reminds him of his own suffering. At times he seems to work hard to push away feelings of empathy.
  If the video stirred any thoughts or feelings for you — or if a personal story came to mind, share that. If not, use the prompts below to talk about your feelings or ask your kids for theirs.

Discuss:

• What do you think led the boy to reject the puppy at first? (He didn’t want to be interrupted, the puppy reminds him of his own suffering, or didn’t want to have a pet he thought was defective.)
• Why do you think the boy changed his mind and developed compassion for the puppy? (He saw the puppy was earnest.)
• What do you have in common with the boy? How about the puppy?
• Recall a time when you were challenged to show compassion. What did you do and how did you feel afterward?

Alternative or additional video option:

Watch “Happiness Is Helping Others” (3-min video) from a Thai insurance company. It shows a man going out of his way to help people and creatures who are suffering.

Discuss:

• What are the examples of suffering in this video? (A plant doesn’t have water, a dog doesn’t have food, a food vendor can’t lift her cart onto the sidewalk, a girl can’t afford to go to school, an elderly woman doesn’t have groceries.)
• What do you think about the message? (Cheesy? Touching? True?)

Do the rest of the lesson here.