Compassion

Compassion

Love stretches wide and deep to encompass the many facets possible in life. A common thread throughout all the types of love is care and consideration for someone. Ultimately, that care and consideration are best expressed through the word "compassion."

Put simply, compassion is a concern for the welfare and well-being of others. Compassion does not necessarily require a focused love to exist but is often thought of as a form of love in and of itself: a love for humankind as a whole. Compassion is argued to be the bedrock for kindness and selflessness, as compassion focuses attention outward rather than inward, and is an example of both empathy (putting yourself in someone else’s shoes) and sympathy (feeling sad, sorry, or distressed on someone's behalf without necessarily putting yourself in their situation).

Practicing compassion is all about the intention of moving from judgment to caring, from isolation to connection, and from indifference or dislike to understanding. And in doing so, being able to receive love as well as give it to others. Understanding the sense of connection you have with yourself and those around you; whether it’s in the local community, your family, or globally, is an important aspect of compassion, and it can be achieved simply by looking inward and trying to focus your thoughts on it.

The point of looking at this facet is to get you back in tune with yourself and the world around you by feeling compassion and trying to reconnect. Some say you can't have compassion without love. Some say the two are mutually exclusive, but both are better with the other. Whichever side of the fence you stand on, one thing is clear: compassion and love are both beautiful things. They are also a learned skill, something grown through practice.  

We might not have learned compassionate love growing up, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the capacity to learn it. Small acts of kindness without expecting a return on our investment is a way to show compassionate love on a consistent basis. Exploring the love we have in our lives with the 6 phase meditation is another small, easy way to understand the role of compassionate love more intimately. Anyway you choose, remember that we can discover compassion for ourselves, which allows us to expand that to the world around us.

Sending a huge hug,

Pamela

A heart full of love and compassion is the main source of inner strength, willpower, happiness and mental tranquility. – Dalai Lama