Jean Donovan Reflection

Jean Donovan was an American lay missionary who was murdered with three nuns in El Salvador by a military death squad while volunteering to do charity work during the civil war there. Jean is remembered by her close friends and family as being a free spirit, kind, caring, and compassionate. I think that all four of these trait are extremely admirable. Of the four before mentioned, I would most like to embody Jean's compassion. Going to El Salvador myself, I understand, probably more than most, the real conditions that the people there face. I have numerous first hand experiences that can relate to the situations and conditions the Jean Donovan saw and experienced in the 1980's. Although the conditions are much, much better now than ever before, from research, I can imagine how things were like back then. I think that compassion is an extremely powerful trait that can motivate people to do much more than they would normally do. Compassion is defined as "sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others". Compassion for the poor motivated Jean to volunteer in such a risky place. I would like to embody this trait by serving, not only my local and school communities, but also a wider, world community. Experiencing what living in a different country was like opened my eye to world around me. Now I more fully appreciate what I have been so blessed with in my life: my education, my comfortable lifestyle, and, most especially, my family and everything they give to me. All in all, I greatly admire Jean Donovan specifically for her traits of being a free spirit, kind, caring, and compassionate. I would most like to embody Jean's trait of compassion, because I believe that compassion can motivate people to do more than anything would normally do. I hope that one day I would have the compassion and courage to do as much as I could for people who have so little.