Compassion is the ability to see the deep connectedness between ourselves and others. Moreover, true compassion recognizes that all the boundaries we perceive between ourselves and others are an illusion. When we first begin to practice compassion, this very deep level of understanding may elude us, but we can have faith that if we start where we are, we will eventually feel our way toward it. We move closer to it every time we see past our own self-concern to accommodate concern for others. And, as with any skill, our compassion grows most in the presence of difficulty.
We practice small acts of compassion every day, when our loved ones are short-tempered or another driver cuts us off in traffic. We extend our forgiveness by trying to understand their point of view; we know how it is to feel stressed out, overwhelmed or irritable. The practice of compassion becomes more difficult when we find ourselves unable to understand the actions of the person who offends us. These are the situations that ask us to look more deeply into ourselves, into parts of our psyches that we may want to deny, parts that we have repressed because society has labeled them bad or wrong. For example, acts of violence are often well beyond anything we ourselves have perpetuated, so when we are on the receiving end of such acts, we are often at a loss. This is where the real potential for growth begins, because we are called to shine a light inside ourselves and take responsibility for what we have disowned. It is at this juncture that we have the opportunity to transform from within.
For some reason I have yet to deduct why having compassion for ourselves is so much more difficult than having it for those around us. Perhaps it’s guilt that we feel is our burden to bear, or displaced belief that we are meant to suffer in life. Whatever the reason, oftentimes we find difficulty having compassion for ourselves because the requirement for seeking mercy within, means facing our darkest moments. When we struggle with self compassion it’s often because we haven’t forgiven ourselves for being human.
This can seem like a very tall order, but trust when life presents us with circumstances that require our compassion, we are ready. Any grace we have cultivated so far, far exceeds any darkness it displaced, allowing it to lead the way into the depths of our own hearts, connecting us to the hearts of others in the understanding that is true compassion.
The Ginger *Snap*s 