Difficult Compassion

   Several classmates and I were having a discussion about the kinds of people we would find it challenging to have compassion for or to help.

   Because we are all students in a program for counseling psychology, we acknowledge that the important thing is to help people — so sharing our challenges, difficulties, and solutions is useful.

   I mentioned that I feel challenged when I see a parent treating his/her child cruelly in public. I recounted times I’ve seen a parent grab a child’s arm hard enough to leave red marks, jerking the child with all their strength, and screaming in their face. I’ve wanted to say something, but didn’t trust myself not to cause a scene.

    One of my classmates said she’d encountered the same type of situation. She described what she did.

   “I said to the mother, ‘Gee, it looks like you’re having a hard day.’”

   I commented that I thought that was a very compassionate thing to stay.

   That was the end of the school conversation, but I imagined what could have happened next.

   The mother may have suddenly realized she was over the top. Maybe she would feel guilt, or shame, or defensive, or all of these. Maybe she would get angry, or maybe she would start to cry.

   How far would I be willing to go? Would I be able to get over my selfish anger and be selflessly compassionate? Would I be willing to ask this clearly overwrought mother, “Do you want to talk about it?”

   What if she answered “yes”?

   These are difficult questions that I need to consider as I move forward into my future as a compassion practitioner.

   How far are any of us willing to go in being compassionate?

   It is difficult to suspend judgment, set aside our emotional reactions, and choose compassion as the action to take in a circumstance like the one described above.

   The compassion in the situation would be recognizing not only the suffering of the child, but also the suffering of the mother. By simply saying, “Gee, it looks like you are having a hard day,” my school friend was acting to relieve the suffering of both the child and the mother.

   Some compassionate actions result from difficult decisions, even though the actual act itself is extremely simple.

~*~

   To learn more about thinking and acting compassionately, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Wired for Compassion

   Research indicates that compassion is actually a survival trait wired into our brains to help keep us, and our “tribe”, alive.

   Back in the cave days when the human species was still eking out a living hunting and gathering to survive, the whole tribe lived and died based on the health of its members. Mothers, babies, fathers, all had a crucial role in the survival of the species.

   So it makes sense that when some member of our tribe expressed distress, we were moved to relieve that suffering because our very existence depended on it.

   This bodes well for the idea that compassion can be developed, because it is already an inherent part of being a human.

   The next question that arises is: Since survival of the species isn’t on everyone’s mind in this day and age, does compassion still exist? Or has it become extinct?

   There have been a variety of brain studies done on people that show specific parts of the brain are activated when people are shown pictures of compassionate or helping activities, versus pictures of war, or buildings, or people alone.

   Another ongoing research study is measuring brain activity while individuals meditate on compassion (http://compassion.stanford.edu/programs/researchProjects.html) to identify more specifically which parts of the brain are responsible for compassion.

   Still other research has looked into the biochemical changes in the brain that result from being compassionate and doing compassionate things for other people. This has led researchers to state that there are positive benefits to the person who acts compassionately, in addition to the benefits to the person who receives the compassionate act.

   This shows that the “wiring” of compassion still exists in our brain, which means we all have it, and we can all use it.

   So if a certain amount of compassion is a natural component of being human, how does one go about becoming more compassionate?

   Like any skill, it takes practice.

   Observing compassion around us, practicing simple compassion on a daily basis, and looking for ways to feel and act with greater compassion seem to be ingredients that will add up, over time, to becoming a more compassionate individual.

~*~

   For more ideas on practicing compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

A Call for Creative Social Compassion Solutions

   While instances of the media using the word compassion can be widely found through Internet searches, a social discussion about the need for more compassion is sorely lacking.

   This is particularly true given the trivializing of compassion by using the word as a synonym for empathy or sympathy.

   This usage minimizes compassion as a mere feeling, and removes the action orientation that is inherent in the word.

   To reiterate: Compassion is perceiving another’s suffering, and feeling moved to relieve that suffering.

   It is difficult to deny that on the national stage compassion is often portrayed as the bleeding heart response to a lack of personal initiative. But compassion isn’t always about “doing for” another, rather – if possible – it can be about providing the opportunity for one to do for one’s self (or for a community to do for itself).

   Like the old saying: “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.”

   Somewhere on the dividing line between compassion-as-social-justice and compassion-as-social-codependence there needs to be a shared space created that recognizes a common goal: There is suffering, and there exists the means to reduce that suffering.

   But we can’t get there without first recognizing that suffering exists, and acknowledging that we, as a society, desire to find a solution.

   (Sidebar: We, as a society, decided a while ago that [for example] public education and public health were in our best interests, if for no other reason than to have intellectually qualified workers for our factories, and a minimum of plagues and disease.)

   Part of the problem with discussing the need to broaden social compassion is that the public dialogue often gets bogged down in all-or-nothing, black-and-white thinking, rather than allowing for a more creative, broader spectrum of possible solutions.

   Just because we want to end childhood hunger doesn’t mean we are asking the government to create another trillion dollar program to feed all the children. While that may result in the desired outcome, it is not a sustainable solution.

   And though we want to end homelessness for our Veterans and families with children, that doesn’t mean we are asking the government to build everybody their own house. Again, desirable outcome, unsustainable avenue.

   Besides, who decided Congress was forced to come up with all the solutions? Last I checked we didn’t elect them to be our collective Daddies and Mommies. There are a lot of extremely intelligent, passionate, and caring people in every community across the country. Why not give them the opportunity to find workable solutions to their own local, regional, or state problems?

   I have a few ideas of my own, but suffice it to say the discussion needs to be given to the people, communities, and populations affected to come up with creative, compassionate, and workable solutions – supported by the funds being misused on wars, corporate welfare, and good-old-boy boondoggles.

   There is a middle ground between complete government bailouts and casting our nation’s most vulnerable citizens to the sharks.

   We need to dial down the rhetoric on both extremes of the political spectrum, and find a moderate middle ground from which we can respectfully discuss compassionate solutions to our nation’s greatest challenges.

~*~

   To read more about the need for a social dialogue on compassion, go here: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.compassionspace.com%2FPapers_on_Basic_Compassion%2FWhy%2520Do%2520We%2520Need%2520More%2520Discourse%2520on%2520Compassion.pdf.

To read about other topics related to compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Accepting and Appreciating Compassion

   This past week’s news mentioning compassion contains many examples of individuals and communities looking for ways to practice compassion on a daily basis. It also contains a fair share of people pointing out how politicians are not practicing compassion in their proposed cuts to social safety nets, disaster relief and continued involvement in wars.

   However, one particular article that appeared in “The Pine Log” newspaper out of the Texas Stephen F. Austin State University addressed “The necessity of compassion and being ‘nice’” (http://www.thepinelog.com/the-necessity-of-compassion-and-being-nice-1.2611501).

  The author, Chidinma Nebo’s premise is that it feels good when people are nice and act with compassion by helping people who are in need of help. She lauds helpful cashiers, patient phone tech support people, considerate drive-through workers, and librarians who go above and beyond to assist in a research project.

   One might succumb to the cynical viewpoint that they have encountered more “bad” helpers than “good” helpers in their days of checkout counters, phone support staff, and drive-through cashiers. But instead of dwelling on the instances of imperfection, how difficult would it be to notice instead the moments of “compassionate grace” that cross our paths?

   In our individualistic culture it’s all too easy to pull away from an offer of help, proclaiming “I can do it myself”, as if another’s offer of help is a veiled insult of our capabilities.

   But let’s try looking at this person’s desire to be of assistance from a different perspective.

   What if accepting help was actually a compassionate act in and of itself?

   The person who offers to help me may have had a fight with a spouse, and their lending a hand could help them feel better about themselves as they prepare to go home and apologize.

   The neighbor who shows up to carry a heavy grocery sack in from the car may be feeling lonely and useless, and by allowing them to help you are helping to relieve their suffering.

   The old woman who lets you get in front of her at the post office might want to prolong her time out among people, fending off her dread of an empty house.

   What this illustrates to me is that the daily practice of compassion can be easier than I ever imagined. So on days when my personal energy level is low and I don’t think I have it in me to go out and be a model of compassion, there are compassionate options.

   In addition to first causing no harm, accepting another’s offer of help, in itself, could very well be the most important act of compassion I may practice today.

~*~

   To read about living a compassionate life, and myriad ways of perceiving compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Compassion: It’s Who We Are.

   As I look around for ways compassion manifests itself in the world, I am reminded of the phrase: “The more you look, the more you see.”

   Compassion can be found in the smallest act of human interaction: a smile for a sad-looking person on the bus; or in larger actions such as community groups adopting a family for Thanksgiving.

   I recently ran across a quote that illuminates and expands on that thought:

   “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.”

Albert Einstein

   One reason compassion is such a crucial cognition for humans at this point in our history is the concept of “connectedness”. If we feel no connection with our fellow beings on this planet, there is no reason to feel compassion, or care what happens to our neighbors, friends, or family.

   But in reality, we are all connected, even if we believe in individualism to the exclusion of all else.

   First, we are connected because we share the common experience of being human on Earth. With that comes all the commonalities that entails: being born to a mother, eating food, suffering discomfort, seeing the sky, experiencing weather, and so on.

   Second is the concept of interdependence, the concept that we rely on one another.

   “The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”

Thomas Merton

   If we eat food raised by someone else, use electricity, drive a car or use public transportation, wear clothes made by someone else (from fabric woven by someone else, out of materials grown or synthesized by someone else), then we are dependent upon others for our lives.

   Living in society is, by its very definition, an interdependent activity. (And if you aren’t interdependent, then you probably aren’t using the Internet and aren’t reading this blog.)

   After recognizing our shared experiences, our interdependence, and our interconnectedness, we begin to understand that we are not so different, you and I. And it is that accepting of our sameness that helps us take the next leap: there is something beyond the physical that connects us as well; call it meta-physical or spiritual.

   “All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is: love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.”

Dalai Lama

   And that is the place that compassion touches us and brings us together.

   Call it an emotion, a virtue, a state, a trait – the words aren’t ultimately important. What is important is that “place” of feeling compassion that recognizes: “Hey, you and I aren’t that different. And when you suffer, there’s a part of me that suffers too. And because I don’t like to suffer, I want you to stop suffering.”

   So we smile at strangers, lend a helping hand to a neighbor, and be a shoulder to cry on for a friend. And care -- deeply -- because that’s part of who we are.

~*~

   For extensive thoughts on compassion, and links to many more, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Compassionate Boundaries

   I’ve written a couple of times about self-care in the practice of compassion. The basic concept is that taking care of ourselves is of prime importance in order to be available when we are needed to help relieve another’s suffering.

   However, many adults in the baby boomer generation are now in the position of caring for aging parents, in addition to being available to their children, grandchildren, spouses, friends, and job.

   This “being pulled in all directions” creates an instinctual reaction to close down, put on blinders, and get through each day trying to live up to everyone’s expectations with a nose-to-the-grindstone attitude.

   This “being everything to everyone” I call the Atlas Syndrome. I’ve had it myself: the feeling that I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, and my hands aren’t available to do what’s in front of me. One of the telltale signs is chronic neck and shoulder pain.

   You’ve heard from friends and family (and maybe even your doctor): “You’ve got to take care of yourself” but the internal dialogue responds:“That’s all I need, one more thing to take care of.”

   But examined realistically, if I don’t have the time or energy to take care of myself, I really don’t have time or energy to truly care for someone else.

   If I am only giving miniscule attention to the people of my life because I have stretched myself to the breaking point and everything feels like a burden, am I really doing them a service, or is it more of a disservice?

   One step in self-care is to have reasonable expectations for myself. Can I reasonably expect to be able to fulfill everyone’s needs and not burn myself out? No.

   Now that’s clear, I need to learn to set boundaries in a caring manner before I reach the end of my rope and snap (which could cause harm to me and others in the process.)

   Negotiating boundaries is challenging for people in caregiving roles. It takes an understanding and clarification of what you think other people expect of you, and a realistic assessment of what they really expect. Often we tend to inflate other’s expectations of us, leaving us feeling inadequate – which is not a healthy place.

   Another part of setting boundaries is to make your expectations for others clear. If you live in a household where you are responsible for a certain set of chores, but you take on extras because “If I didn’t do them, they wouldn’t get done”, chances are you’ll start feeling resentful and tired.

   Here’s the question to ask yourself: Will anybody DIE if these chores didn’t get done? The answer is probably, "No." So, don’t do them.

   Setting boundaries is part of what can be termed as Strong Compassion. By not doing for others what they are responsible for doing themselves, you are not engaging in codependence, and not inhibiting their growth as an independent and responsible person. When you take away other’s work, you are actually minimizing them and preventing their growth.

   From this perspective, then, setting boundaries on other’s demands and expectations of you, and clarifying your expectations of others is a very compassionate act. This leaves them free to grow in their own way as a responsible individual, and it gives you the healing space to be available to relieve another’s suffering when needed.

   Interpreted another way, setting boundaries is about asking another person to show compassion to you, which is a good thing.

~*~

   To read more about practicing compassion individually, or in community, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Compassionate Listening

   As part of making compassion a regular part of my life, and looking for as many ways as possible to try practicing compassion, I am focusing on a technique I’m calling “compassionate listening”.

   It’s a lot like just plain old listening. Actually, it’s more like active listening with the extra added attraction of engaging my heart in the listening process.

   In my years as a newspaper reporter covering a wide variety of public events, I had many opportunities to observe audiences, and how people listen. While there are as many types of listening as there are people, there are some definable categories.

   Here are a few categories I've identified:

   Absent listeners – these are the people whose bodies are present, but their minds are obviously somewhere else.

   Distracted listeners – these are the ones who listen some of the time, but spend the rest of the time rooting through their purse or pockets for something that they never find. They also often jiggle their leg, or spend their time texting on their phones.

   Confused listeners – somewhere along the line, these folks missed the point, but are trying their darndest to get a clue as to what is going on. They often can be seen looking around to see if others are as lost as they are.

   Focused listeners – stare intently at the speaker as if to make sure nothing escapes their notice. Are often the ones who will shush neighboring audience members who engage in conversation during the event.

   Active listeners – can be seen leaning forward, making eye contact with the speaker, their bodies mirroring the stance of the presenter. They are often the first ones to laugh when the speaker cracks a joke.

   As I see it, these are different ways to describe how present a person is, plotting out a spectrum of engagement from least engaged to entirely engaged.

   Most of us have also experienced these different types of listeners in one-on-one conversation. We know how it feels when we are talking to someone who isn’t paying attention to what we’re saying. We somehow feel diminished -- less than -- and we leave the conversation feeling an emptiness inside.

   Articles I have read in my new field of psychology talk about the counselor engaging in empathetic listening by being wholly present and feeling an unconditional regard for the client.

   Compassionate listening, I believe, takes this process a step further. Beyond being engaged, the compassionate listener becomes somehow involved in the other’s world. They endeavor not only to be present, but on some level become a participant in the other’s story, as if they are walking with the other person through the event.

   The reason I call this compassionate listening is because it serves the definition of compassion: recognizing the suffering of another, and feeling moved to relieve that suffering. By being a compassionate listener, it recognizes that we all are suffering, and by listening with the heart we are helping to lighten the burden of another’s suffering.

   It is reminiscent of the saying: “A burden shared is a burden lightened.”

   When I listen with an open heart, I am saying to the other person, “I hear you, I care, and I want to be with you.”

   This doesn’t mean that I plan on turning myself into a dumping ground for all my friends’ sorrows. Far from it. As I mentioned in an earlier post, self-care is paramount, because if I don’t take care of myself, I can’t be a good friend or a useful member of society.

   There is a difference between being a cup that holds everything that’s poured into it, and a stream that continues to flow and wash the banks clean.

   When I am listening compassionately, I don’t take another’s troubles into myself and make them part of me, rather, I listen and let them flow through me. In turn I reflect back my care and regard for them.

   Beyond being a comforting presence for a friend in pain, compassionate listening is also applicable in sharing another’s joy, or even in mundane conversations of daily life. As I said before, we all have a past that contains suffering, and having a compassionate listener can serve to ease some of the ubiquitous suffering of life.

   And we could all use a little of that.

~*~

   To learn more about the various forms that compassion can take, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

The Future of Compassion

   Seeing compassion in the acts of those around us and noticing opportunities to practice compassion in our own lives is one part of the Compassionate Journey.

   Another is to observe institutional changes around us that bode well for the future of compassion.

   Right now that future lies in the educational system, and searches of the Internet reveal a growing number of schools and school districts that are embracing concepts of compassion into their governance and curriculum activities.

   This is infinitely encouraging, since (as the timeworn phrase goes) our children are our future.

   One initiative that has grown in strength over the past several years is institutionalizing anti-bullying, which is one way of teaching compassion. In order for teachers and students to discourage and stop bullying behavior, it takes a recognition of the victim’s suffering. By stopping the abusive behavior, these schools are practicing compassion by acting to relieve the suffering of the students being bullied.

   I am hoping that, hand-in-hand with relieving the suffering of the bullied student, school administrators, teachers, counselors, and parents are being brought in to understand the behavior of the bullies themselves. What is going on in their lives that causes them to mistreat other children? How have they been wounded so that the only way they have to express their pain is to hurt others?

   An article that recently appeared in the Rodondo Beach Patch highlighted Principal Lisa Johnson’s goal of encouraging students “to practice compassion, tolerance, and critical thinking” (http://redondobeach.patch.com/articles/new-principal-spotlight-lisa-johnson).

   Johnson, in the interview, was quoted as saying that elementary school children need to learn “Tolerance and compassion—times are changing. Campuses are very diverse, and you're going to meet so many types of people and you have to embrace those differences. That's one thing that I've noticed on Birney's campus ... students are very caring.”

   Specifically, Johnson cited “The Safe School Ambassadors program is a district-promoted program that tries to prevent bullying and promote caring, compassionate individuals on campus. It teaches students strategies to help prevent bad incidents on campus.”

   The New York City “Flawless Foundation” works to expand educational opportunities and programs for needful youth. On their website, they state, “Most importantly, here at Flawless our main message  is: compassion compassion compassion.  Compassionate care for every child, finding the perfection in everyone, appreciating each mind for the unique gifts it has to offer, celebrating the ups and using the downs as an opportunity to react with love, patience, and empathy.”

   In San Antonio, Texas, elementary school staff have crafted a new vision statement for their school in response to concern over test scores and a need to build community: “The San Antonio Elementary community will fan the flame of curiosity, ignite the desire for discovery, and kindle a compassion for others.” (http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/3869-a-new-vision-for-an-old-school.html)

   The teachers said the new mission is designed to “provide an atmosphere of caring, to promote a passion for learning, to recognize each child's unique qualities, to model responsibility and respect, and to foster a desire in their students to play an active role in contributing meaningfully to the community.”

   These are just a very few examples of the Compassion Revolution that is taking root in communities across American where we have already seen what the opposite can do.

~*~

   For more examples of how compassion is being described and practiced, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Looking for Compassion

   It’s very easy, particularly during times of social distress, to see the glass as half empty. After all, the media reminds us at every turn of the page or channel what’s going wrong and who’s to blame.

   Unfortunately, this type of “programming” does exactly that, it programs us to see everything around us as negative, bad, and insufficient to our needs.

   “Who wouldn’t be negative with all the bad stuff going on the world?” one is tempted to respond.

   Except that question presupposes we have no control over our thoughts, that we have no personal freedom when it comes to the innermost landscape of our mind.

   Decades of research on the brain, however, have shown us the opposite is true: we can change our perceptions, thoughts, and therefore how we experience our world.

   Sociology and psychology agree that our thoughts are patterned by our environment and our experiences within that environment. Our understanding of these patterns is based on how we have decided to interpret the events in our lives.

   There are even words that describe that process: re-framing, positive self-talk, re-storying, cognitive restructuring, and so on.

   How we interpret events, then, leads to perceiving our external landscape in a progressively different way.

   Just like when I put on a new pair of glasses, everything becomes clearer and sharper. The world hasn’t changed, just my perception of it.

   What I am suggesting is that we put a “compassion amplifier” on the lenses we already wear that filter and control how we see the world.

   For example, instead of saying, “The economy is so bad. Look at the news and see how many jobs we lost last month”, turn the page and read about the group of people who got together and started their own company to help seniors do yard chores.

   Instead of bemoaning how materialistic and capitalistic the world is, shop at the local Goodwill, which puts disabled individuals to work.

   Today, instead of complaining about all our nation’s jobs being sent overseas, buy Made in America.

   When you’re in slow traffic, notice the people who are being polite drivers, instead of putting all your energy into cursing at the jerks.

   Next time you have to stand in line, rather than grumbling about the slow service, smile at the people around you and notice how one smile can change everything.

   There are hundreds of opportunities every day to notice people helping each other out, being kind, and thinking of others.

   So, if we want to live in a more compassionate world, we first need to start seeing the compassion that is already around us. Don’t worry, it’s there … I looked.

~*~

   For more examples of compassionate living and understanding compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Compassion in the News

   I’ve set an Alert for the word “compassion” in Google, so every evening I get an e-mail with links to all the articles and blogs that have “compassion” in them from that day on the Internet. Since I set the alert on Sept. 12 there have been 327 news items, videos, and blog entries that mention compassion.

   At first blush that may seem like compassion is getting a lot of attention, but upon further examination many of the mentions are superficial usages of the word in a list of accolades, the title of a public lecture, or an editorial exhortation encouraging people to be more compassionate.

   Schools and churches seem to be the groups involved most in promoting the concept of compassion, from anti-bullying programs that teach tolerance to sermons encouraging civic participation.

   End-of-life groups and medical marijuana supporters have also donned the compassion banner to promote and market their cause, as have vegetarians and animal rescue groups. (Ironically, a new business venture – Compassion Couture – sells wares entirely free of animal ingredients or byproducts.)

   Numerous articles laud community heroes as compassionate in their charitable giving to others, or memorialize the deceased for their compassionate nature.

   In the wake of natural or other disasters, compassion is prevalent as community members respond with outpourings of food, labor, and care.

   Predictably there were dozens of articles and opinion pieces about compassion following the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, most extolling the virtues of individuals who selflessly gave of themselves to help those who suffered in the aftermath.

   Also predictably, there are a smattering of compassion detractors who decry “indulgent and misplaced” compassion, particularly when it comes to social programs and taxes.

   Columnist Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times after a recent televised Tea Party debate, “Now, however, compassion is out of fashion — indeed, lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/krugman-free-to-die.html?_r=2&ref=opinion)

   In the aftermath of this particular debate, a Michigan pastor wrote in an editorial: “The cries of one side or the other over nearly any social issue, the tearing down of civil discourse, the inability of people to see the Other in a spirit of compassion is frustrating, and the ensuing polarization can cause one to despair.” (http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2011/09/17/life/srv0000013892573.txt)

   What I am left with in reviewing this week’s worth of compassion news online is a cautionary observation: Compassion as a tool of caring and loving kindness is a powerful force for the good. 

   However, using compassion as a conquering weapon, a political cudgel, or capitalistic crowbar is a grave misuse of the ideal, and is likely to leave the wielder stinging from self-inflicted wounds.

~*~

   To read more perspectives on compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.

Timely Quotes on Compassion

Sometimes I like to read what other people have said on the topic of compassion, think about the context and meaning of these quotes, and reflect on the history in which these statements were made and how they apply to us today.

         “Compassion is the basis of all morality.”

Arthur Schopenhauer (German Philosopher, 1788-1860)

   Schopenhauer, seen as one of the “founding fathers” of modern philosophy on morality and compassion, summed up the relationship between living a moral life and how compassion plays an integral role in that life.

***

“Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.”

Hubert H. Humphrey (American 38th US Vice President under Lyndon B. Johnson (1965-69) and US Senator from Minnesota (1949-64, 1971-78). 1911-1978)

   This quote from Humphrey is particularly timely in today’s political climate with the battles between the economic classes playing out in the media, the halls of Congress, and the financial district of New York City.

***

“Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.”

Arnold Toynbee (English Economic Historian and social reformer, 1889-1975)

   Also relevant to the current political climate, Toynbee’s sentiments also illustrate the metaphysical aspect of practicing compassion.

***

         “I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, human liberty as the source of national action, the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas”

 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (American 35th US President (1961-63), 1917-1963)

   No comment required.

***

         “Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.”

Eric Hoffer (American Writer, 1902-1983)

   Hoffer points out the compassion can be an unaffiliated meeting place where humanity can place itself, in relation to itself, and in spite of itself.

***

         “I came upon a doctor who appeared in quite poor health. I said, 'There's nothing that I can do for you that you can't do for yourself.' He said, 'Oh yes you can. Just hold my hand. I think that that would help.' So I sat with him a while then I asked him how he felt. He said, 'I think I'm cured.'”

Conor Oberst (American Singer and Song Writer.)

   Oberst highlights the concept of Compassion Space that healers from all disciplines identify as the unique and curative aspects of compassion as a shared endeavor.

***

         “Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”

Frederick Buechner (American Author, b.1926)

   Pointing to the necessity of compassion, Buechner stresses the interrelatedness of humanity, and the importance of recognizing that interrelatedness – because to feel better ourselves, it is necessary to help each other.

***

         “Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.”

Henry Ward Beecher (Liberal US Congregational minister, 1813-1887)

   This faith-based perspective, I feel, would be well applied to politics as well.

***

         “The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”

Thomas Merton (American and Trappist Monk to Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist, Kentucky, 1915-1968)

   Another faith-based perspective that illustrates the metaphysical and spiritual aspects (i.e. necessity) of practicing compassion.

***

         “A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair.”

Abraham J. Heschel (Jewish theologian and philosopher, 1907-1972)

   From our Jewish brethren, another timely reminder during these tumultuous times in which we live.

***

         “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Dalai Lama (Head of the Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, b.1935)

   One of the most simple reasons I have come across for practicing compassion.

***

         “Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

Dalai Lama (Head of the Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, b.1935)

   Explaining the human necessity of compassion as a global concern, the Dalai Lama is perhaps the strongest voice of compassion alive today.

***

         “Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people’s hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human 'brain' with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human 'heart' with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is.”

Dalai Lama (Head of the Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, b.1935)

   Compassion is possible for all of us …

***

            “In separateness lies the world's great misery, in compassion lies the world's true strength.”

 Buddha (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

   … but only if we remember to practice compassion with one another.

~*~

   Today’s quotes on compassion were gleaned from: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/compassion/.

   For in-depth discussion, research, and links on compassion, go to: www.CompassionSpace.com.