Finding it Hard to Be Compassionate?
I have been thinking lately about what many of us define as suffering versus what others that live in 3rd world countries consider suffering. Of course suffering is a very real thing in many of our lives, and it is varied and comes in many forms. There are many in our world who suffer from terrible poverty. I have been first hand witness to this in my world travels, the things that I have seen really makes me grateful for living in the U.S., although I try very hard not to take anything for granted.
Sometimes it is very hard for me to understand many in the western world who have plenty of food, nice homes, jobs, cars and all of the things that we enjoy here, yet still are suffering in other ways. We see countless cases of broken homes, drug problems and emotional abuse, abductions and murder. Many people feel at wits end and have no place to turn.
For us to further our journey On The Path we must be able to look at the pain of others, understand it, and learn to give compassion. As we practice compassion we are willing to look at each and every pain others have with a discerning eye, and to embrace everything. The discoveries that we make with our heart are never done to shame or embarrass, thus no judgments are necessary. The things that we discover are there to facilitate opportunities for growth and greater understanding.
All of us will face pain and challenges in our life, some will experience more than others, but we all will drink from the same cup at one time or another. Pain allows us to become more understanding and tolerant of others who are suffering, and this in turn creates a compassionate heart, and a desire to reach out to others who are hurting. It brings us in tune with others with no consideration of backgrounds, socioeconomic, race, religion or educational levels.
Pain is something that we all understand, and Love is the language that heals all pain. All of us have this gift to give to others through our eyes, our embrace, our words, through shared tears or a kind deed or prayer. There is no cost in compassion, and many times the giver gets out of it, just as much as the receiver. Compassion is truly one of those lessons that takes us further down the path to a more enlightened life.
Take Care my friends!
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Comments
I get incensed when I read of the $Billions + $Trillions of Dollars being Wasted on Bush’s Illegal War in Iraq when so many People are Starving* + Starving in America too!!
I think the $$$ could be better spent providing Food + Clean Water + Medicine + Clothing + Housing + Eliminating Poverty Worldwide*
Peace*
Its useful to remember that every thought we think and express results from conditioning or assumptions grounded in our upbringing. For many ‘Westerners,’ what we sense as “poverty” and “suffering” translates into our vision of what it means to not live the life we lead, not have what we have or experience what we experience. How we live isn’t always seen the same way by people who live differently.
I like how you infer that empathy is a crucial lesson we can learn. To develop a discerning eye doesn’t only pertain to what is going on in other countries. It concerns our own choices, sensitivities and desensitivities. We can learn to be compassionate to the homeless on our streets, to the people we know and strangers all around us who are experiencing hardship. All would benefit from greater open-mindedness, unconditional love, tolerance and understanding.