Compassion

Compassion is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, try to picture the pain they are going through and feel only care and love for them.

A good example is being stuck in traffic during peak time, as you’re going to work...  Faced with hordes of people all driving to get to work on time, mixed with stress, personal issues and who knows what else...  People in a rush to get somewhere...  cutting us off, driving with only their needs in mind.  We can choose to take it personally, get angry and even more stressed, or take a different approach.. one of compassion.  Taking a step back and accept that this situation is not happening to us and that we can choose to be calm, cool and collected and not take part in the anger that could rise up.  

By not taking part in the anger and choosing compassion, we leave our egos aside.  Take a deep breath and move on with your day.  Let it slide off your back, just like water on a duck, or an egg on a non stick pan.  

Trying to be compassionate is trying to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.  Try to imagine how you would feel if you were living the same situation.  

Not always easy, because no one can fully understand everyone’s situation fully, but even by just trying and imagining, it’s a step closer to feeling compassion for others.  It’s imagining how you would want others to treat you in a similar situation.  

“Don’t do to other what you don’t want done to yourself”,   - Confucius

It is important not to mix compassion with feeling sorry for someone else.  Feeling sorry put the other person in a victim position.  Which is a more negative energy.  However, compassion stems from a more positive one.  It will helps boost and energize the person receiving the compassion.  

COMPASSION + LOVE = UNITY and UNDERSTANDING

REFLECTIONS:

• Have you had to put yourself in someone else’s shoes?

• Did doing so improve or worsen the situation?

• How do you want to improve you compassion for others?