Compassion

I was witness a very valuable experience the other day. ‘The true meaning of compassion and how some people have no idea what it is or how to apply it’. As with all of my entries here, I hope just to give you enough to inspire you to consider the subject more deeply and with your own perspective. Our truth becomes what we connect with in our hearts.


Wikipedia describes Compassion in this way,

Compassion (from Latin: "co-suffering") is a virtue —one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnectedness and humanism —foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and person hood.


There is an aspect of compassion which regards a quantitative dimension, such that individuals compassion is often given a property of "depth," "vigour," or "passion." More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering.

So in my words, when you understand and have empathetic feelings for a particular situation, that you may not be able to directly change, however you still offer love, understanding and support, this energy will in develop into helping the situation.

From the words of The Buddha,

Compassion is that which makes the heart of the good move at the pain of others. It crushes and destroys the pain of others; thus, it is called compassion. It is called compassion because it shelters and embraces the distressed.

One of the clearest examples of compassion is Mother Theresa. She cared for the poor and sick in the leper colonies in Calcutta. She spent her life serving the rejects of society and is truly a person of compassion.

Please don’t judge those who are not living life the way you are, understand that others are living the life of their environment. Perspective, life experiences, culture, beliefs, fears, all shape us and determine how we live our lives. It is so tragic that 80% of the world population live in poverty. That is a lot of people to be struggling everyday of their lives, not to mention those who don’t live in poverty yet have their own challenges that make day to day life difficult. Have compassion for everybody, regardless of who they are or where they are. Generate the feeling of love for everybody and do whatever you can to help.

A simple word of praise can lift a heavy heart.

It makes the giver a better person

And gives the receiver hope and faith.

It’s usually reciprocated.

It gives life great purpose.

                                                                                                         P.L.





Love and Gratitude,
Lisa xxx