Compassion

When people feel resources are scarce, compassion disappears.

When people feel fear, compassion disappears.

When people have failed and recovered, compassion exists.

When people have suffered great loss and moved through that to live in joy, compassion is present.

When people judge, criticize, condemn another, they have moved far away from compassion.

When people are caught up in fulfilling their own needs, whether basic or tertiary (I need that new Land Rover) they move away from compassion.

Compassion is within all of us. It’s what brings us back into our human family. It’s knowing that others suffer and that we can help unburden them of their losses by small and big acts of kindness and care.

Compassion is color and race blind.

Compassion grows like a well nurtured seedling. That seedling needs sun and water and decent soil. Compassion takes root in intent. Then let the universe do the rest.

You can fake compassion, just like you can fake an orgasm. In both cases, the only person who loses is you.

Compassion doesn’t care what your sexual preferences are.

If you realized that there is no death, that the soul lives on and thrives, you would feel compassion instantly fill your heart.

If you realized that there is only life after life and that we are all here to grow and create and to be the best we can be, then compassion would emanate from you.

You can’t teach compassion. You can model it. You can stimulate it in others. You can role model your way to kindness and compassion.

When you get discouraged, go for a walk in nature and let the green slowly sooth your wounds and give you strength. Flowers are nature’s way of showing us compassion. Flowers and butterflies and birdsong. And sunsets. And sunrises. And a cool rain. And a lot more.

Palliative care is the care we give to the dying and those suffering with chronic illness and pain.
Compassionate care is the care we give to everyone else.

How many times have you looked at the Google logo? What is the color sequence of the letters? What is the color of the letter ‘l’? The second ‘o’? Compassion is like that. It’s everywhere. We just need to stop and really see it. The world is not only a cold, hard, stressful, competitive place. It is also full of compassion.

Andrea Courey - October 2017