On the surface, our world may appear to be crumbling around us. All around us we see the results of divisiveness, disconnection, disinformation, greed, violence and other forms of suffering. While the magnitude of today’s challenges call for creative responses and solutions from around the globe, we each hold within us the capacity to help heal our precious world.
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Compassion Begins Inside of You
Connection through compassion begins within each of us; yet, many are unaware or have forgotten the transformational power they hold within. It is more important than ever that we remember who we really are by reconnecting with our deepest self, our True Self, which is our true essential nature. As we move through life it is easy to forget our vital connection to the truth of who we already are. That forgetfulness—our disconnection from our true selves—is the root cause of much of our suffering.
Your expression of the truth that lies within you holds the power to transform the world into a more peaceful and compassionate place for all.
Your True Self is an emanation of essential qualities of your being. These include love, wisdom, joy, resilience, compassion, clarity, peace, stillness and others. We can access and express these inner qualities in the world as we remember who we really are. (Learn more about how to re-connect with your True Self in the book Come Home To Your True Center.) In this article we will focus on the loving, kind and healing power of compassion to transform our world.
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What Is Compassion?
Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” It has been defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Compassion is a deeply human and kind capacity that we all have within us.
We reach out in compassion when we see the suffering of others, and we engage in loving actions to help alleviate the suffering.
Some people confuse compassion with empathy. While they are similar, they are not the same. Empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions and the suffering of another person. Compassion goes beyond empathy by not only recognizing pain and suffering, but actively seeks to ease suffering through kindness, support and understanding. Importantly, compassion also fosters a sense of connection and realization of our shared humanity.
Scientific research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, our bodies secrete oxytocin (“bonding hormone”), and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving, feelings of pleasure light up, resulting in our motivation to approach and care for other people.
Practices such as meditation, including mindfulness meditation, can deepen our awareness of our true nature and can help us access our inner capacities and qualities that we may have forgotten or of which we may not even be aware. Mindfulness is one path to experience deeper awareness, remembrance and reconnection.
Meditation helps us gain clarity, insight and stillness so that our inner qualities and capacities naturally arise. This includes the capacity to be more compassionate in our relationships with others and with ourself. In this way our connection to wholeness is restored and we can experience a life of more meaning and purpose,
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What About Self-Compassion?
You can cultivate and nurture self-compassion by treating yourself with tenderness and kindness rather than being critical and judgmental when you fail to meet your own expectations of yourself. Accept your imperfections, and begin with the awareness that we are all imperfect. Whenever possible, bring your awareness to your own humanity and frame your experiences in the broader context of our shared humanity.
When you experience your own suffering, acknowledge it with tenderness, kindness, and unconditional acceptance. You might say to yourself, “This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.”
Choose to recognize and feel a connection to others rather than remaining isolated in your suffering. You can cultivate self-compassion by becoming more mindful.
Mindfulness allows you to be with what is and accept what is in the present moment. If you are suffering, be with your pain. Acknowledge it and then make choices from a place of mindfulness, compassion for yourself, and connection. Our own experience of wholeness (that includes compassion and self-compassion) inspires our generosity and desire to help others.
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Compassionate Service for the World
True service in the world is motivated by our loving compassion and our connection with wholeness. As we realize that we are all connected in one common humanity and that any action, no matter how small, ripples outward in expanding circles across the world… that a more peaceful and compassionate world is possible.
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein
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Stay Tuned—Coming Up In April!
This April True Center and Milton Library will provide a weekly series that explores the nature of conflict and practical strategies for navigating it using approaches based on mindfulness, self-reflection, and the development of interpersonal skills. The program will be held at the Milton Library in Milton, GA. Details coming soon!
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