Every one of us is born with the potential to be compassionate. Who among us has not been moved by a photo, film or personal encounter with someone who is suffering? Perhaps that person may look, speak, pray or think differently than we do, yet that matters little, because compassion is a fundamentally human experience. In a moment of compassion, we all feel a stirring in our breast, our countenance softens, and we may feel a lump in our throats or tears in our eyes. We experience sympathy and for a moment, an empathetic relationship with the sufferer. We feel an opening in our hearts, and through that opening we glimpse the truth of human interconnectedness.

Typically, we feel an urge to do something and a sense of responsibility. But then in a matter of seconds, it dissipates and our attention is commanded by other images and thoughts: the new mobile device de jour, a bigger, better SUV, the bills we have to pay, or our own struggles and challenges. A sad little voice in our heads tells us that here is nothing we can do about it. Or perhaps we promise ourselves we will take action at some undetermined time in the future, when we don’t have the cares we have today. Then we go back to our lives and our immediate concerns.

Yet somewhere in our subconscious, that moment of compassion and its attendant feeling of responsibility lingers, filed away in some mental warehouse of unaddressed emotions. The bad news is that by missing these chances to take responsibility, act with compassion and at least attempt to better the lives of other human beings, we are cheated of an opportunity to be our highest selves. The good news is that we can do something about it.

Compassion is a wonderful quality, and at some point in our lives, most of us have experienced both giving and receiving it. But all too often, we fail to take that feeling to its next logical step, which is responsibility. Today, our world is in crisis and demands that we take that step. Unfortunately, the concept of responsibility often carries with it thoughts of burden, drudgery and lack of freedom. But that need not be the case. In fact, responsibility is really a privilege.

As a young counter culture creative, spending most of my time in the company of fellow musicians, writers, artists, and other rebels without a cause, responsibility was what one tried to avoid. It meant giving up, growing old, losing your sense of adventure and failing to realize one’s dreams. On the other hand, compassion always made sense. The words of Buddha and Jesus spoke to us from the distant past, and more contemporary figures like Krishnamurti, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Ram Dass, Gary Zukav and so many others spoke of compassion, love and righting the wrongs of inequality and injustice. This all resonated easily and naturally. But it was not until the real causes of injustice, climate change, economic inequity and endless wars began to reveal themselves as rooted in human greed and insensitivity that it became apparent that compassion and responsibility must be linked together. Compassion must be followed by responsibility. They are both manifestations of the same thing: Love.

Love in action is the most powerful force on earth. Any single individual, through compassion and love, has the power to take responsibility. In general, although sometimes it may happen, we need not give up our own lives to make progress. For the most part, we don’t have to become martyrs to affect change. It is we ourselves who must change. We can no longer afford to take actions without awareness of how they may be affecting the rest of the world. We can no longer let someone else worry about it, and we cannot accept that we are powerless individuals who can’t have any positive effect.

No single drop of water is unimportant to the existence of the sea. Any component of any working system performs its responsibilities without question or the system would fail. It is only humans who question things and struggle with doubt. Of course, in so many magnificent and beautiful ways, that has led us to be who we are, but it has also caused a great deal of uncertainty, fear and self-centeredness. But we can move past such things. The next time we feel compassion, we can dwell in that state just a little longer. We can allow ourselves to be moved to action. We can find clarity and a straight path to acting with responsibility. Then, we can experience love in action and we can move one step closer to a state of connection.