Lately, I’ve been inspired to learn more about compassion. Not just compassion for our “tribe,” which comes pretty naturally, but for those not in our tribe. It’s not easy to find compassion for people we don’t like, we don’t agree with or that behave in difficult ways.
I’ve found that this definition helps me find compassion in tough situations…
When we find compassion for ourselves and others, we connect with our shared humanity. We connect with that fact that we are all imperfect.
In Brene Brown’s book, “Rising Strong,” she says:
“When we believe people are doing the best they can, we can stay out of judgement.”
Brene Brown, Author of Rising Strong
When we truly believe that others are doing the best they can, it opens the door to find compassion. Like learning any new skill, being more compassionate takes practice. But the effort is worth it. Here’s why:
4 Surprising Things About Compassion
- Being compassionate makes us happier
- The more we practice compassion, the more it becomes instinctual
- It is at the core of most faiths and spiritual practices
- It contributes to many other virtues, like kindness, generosity and curiosity
This Albert Einstein quote sums it up perfectly, “We are part of the whole which we call the universe, but it is an optical delusion of our mind that we think we are separate. This separateness is like a prison for us. Our job is to widen the circle of our compassion so we feel connected with all people and situations.”
So on we go… along this long and bumpy journey to become one human race.
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Your blog post about compassion is so important in this divisive age. Besides all the reasons you gave for being compassionate, it just makes you a nicer person who lives a more interesting life because you connect with people who look at the world differently. Wonderful!
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for sharing…