I’ve heard it’s a sign from the universe when more than one person recommends something to you. After a few suggestions to see the documentary I AM, I added it to my Netflix queue. It sounded interesting, but I had no idea what I was in for! This documentary made me cry and laugh. I was moved and inspired. It shows us very real problems in this world, but it also offers a very beautiful solution. (I won’t give any spoilers).

What is unique about this film isn’t the centuries old ideas about compassion and cooperation, but the scientific approach it offers. One interviewee offers, “Science is finally catching up with religion.” And, really, the religious notions that come up the most resemble the Eastern traditions. A lot of what came up in this documentary is synonymous with ideas I’m learning in my Buddhist Traditions course.

American ideologies of independence and success are unhealthy – for the individual and the collective. In I AM, Tom Shadyac shows how we are hard-wired for compassion and how we can make a difference in this world – one small act a time.