The Free Pass Project – A Social Practice of Spontaneous Compassion and Conversation

Creatively enacting spontaneous compassion and conversation.

"FREE PASS": two words that can communicate simple compassion. Who needs the grace of a free pass now and again? Almost everyone. Think about your day, and even the last few hours. Has there been a moment where you've given yourself a hard time or been in a frustration? Have you interacted with a loved one or stranger who is stressed, is doing the best they can, feels disengaged from forgiveness or needs simple affirmative respite of some kind? Need a free pass…? The social practice of the Free Pass Project is the activation of spontaneous compassion and conversation. Spontaneous … Read More...

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Free pass conversation…

“What’s that Free Pass for?” I’m sitting at a bar, with an agenda in mind, and the recipient of my eventual inquiries beat me to the punch. Gone was the cascade of cool that was supposed to happen as the crunch of the first half of the football game faded, and suddenly I was up. […]

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Cat Free Pass

Today I received a free pass token. I got back home and I continued my stressful day. I stripped the bed because my cats had peed on it and worried about my wierd new roommate. I sat down at my computer and was worried about my job and my future. Soon I laid on my […]

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Closing time token #909?…

I gave a free pass token to a waitress last night because we got to the restaurant sort of near closing time. We were very, very hungry and tired. She was very kind and patient as other workers began their tasks of cleaning and such for closing time. She was wonderfully excited and enthusiastic to […]

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Kindness of Strangers

Last year, I found myself in tears on a grassy hill on the Carnegie Mellon campus, attempting to make it through the final morning of the Open Engagement conference. I believe it was you, Rachel, who approached me. You provided me with every sort of support and reflection I needed in that moment, as I […]

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