Last week I spoke about honesty, and to be honest with you, it took me a while to finally sit down and write about this week’s topic: Compassion. I even considered not writing about it at all. But at the same time I was aware that I had to do it. There was something there, a message, that had to be explored and shared with others.

I have been thinking a lot about it all week long. I have asked myself, “What does compassion really mean?” and, “Have I felt compassion in my life for something or someone?” I searched for the meaning of compassion, reading numerous articles on the topic, and I found them very interesting and insightful. I have also heard a lot about it throughout my life. But I honestly never understood its meaning fully – until now. And I want to share with you my personal experience around Compassion.

I consider myself to be a very sensitive being. I have noticed that when I see a child in need, a person with physical disabilities, an elderly person requiring some assistance, a woman that has been physically abused, or a poor man working hard to feed his family, a subtle feeling arises in my heart – a feeling of kindness. So while I was wondering if I have felt compassion in my life, a clear “yes” came to my mind.

But there was something within me that did not feel completely satisfied. I questioned myself over and over…. “Was that feeling real? Was that feeling really what we call Compassion? Why did that feeling come only with people who were ‘in need’?”

This last question led me to think about the feeling of compassion in terms of all the people around me: people that I live with, people I interact with on a daily basis (for example my co-workers, my friends, my siblings, etc.), and even people that I come across randomly (at the super market, the dry cleaners, etc.).  Do I feel compassion for them as well as for people “in need”?

And by “Compassion” I don’t mean feeling sorry for someone. What I mean is a feeling of kindness, of respect, of being non-judgmental, and of understanding that each one of us is different; we all come from different backgrounds, with different baggage, and we all have a different time and pace to become aware and enlightened. We are not the same, and that doesn’t mean that we are wrong or that we are not on the right path!

This is exactly what was not letting me feel satisfied with my answer. And it has been particularly difficult for me to understand – to really get it. But while I meditated on the topic of Compassion this past week, something shifted within me. I noticed that I started to be a bit more open to other people’s timing and pace. I noticed that I have been more respectful about their opinions. I even caught myself, while I was waiting in line, sending love to the people around me and seeing the beauty in them instead of judging them, for whatever reason….

I personally believe this is the Real Compassion that we all need to practice more often. We are all connected; we all need each other to grow and expand and find meaning in Life.

So let’s practice this week being more compassionate with the people around us. Practice being more open and respectful with their opinions. Try to really listen to them. Try to see their beauty within. And try to find at least one lesson that you could learn from those who challenge you the most… I promise that by doing this you will understand them better and will feel more compassion for them.

With Love and Compassion,

Gaby

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Inspirationals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.