Compassionionate Service

Sorry to post twice in one night, but I've been thinking about something and I feel like it's something that I really need to say. It could be for the benefit or someone who reads this or it could just be for my own benefit. Either way I think it's an important concept that I'm slowly learning.

You know all of us are trying to do our best. I don't think that very many of us try to be bad at talking on the phone or keeping in touch, but we're not perfect people. We don't always do or say the right things because we're all still learning how this whole human thing works. We're all still trying to figure out if there's such a thing as loving too much or if it's safe to put our complete love into people. Some of us are still learning the significance of faith and the role it plays in our life. There are just so many things that we're all trying to achieve and learn in this life.

Compassion is something that's really important to me. Ms. Parrish once said something about when we lose compassion then we lose what it means to be human. There's a lot of significance in that statement. Compassion is something that is easy to have but not always easy to remember. What I mean is that sometimes it's easier to feel compassion for people when it's obvious that they need our compassion. Seeing someone sick or hurt automatically brings about a certain amount of compassion from the observing people because it's one of those univeral human truths. Compassion is something that we all understand and feel when we see someone in need.

But how much more difficult is it for us to feel compassion for the man who cuts us off or the family member who seems to be acting impossible? It's a lot harder to have compassion when we can't see deep into the problems and challenges that people are facing on the inside. It's a lot easier to recognize outward problems and so it's a lot easier to have sympathy towards individuals who suffer outwardly. But i believe that compassion lies deeper than that. I believe that true compassion happens when we can see inward battles and find ways to heal them. Perspective is huge. Attempting to understand why people do the things they do makes it so much easier to find the strength to help them. Seeing someone suffering and doing something about it is what I think compassion is.

I wanted to see how a real dictionary would define compassion so I went to dictionary.com. The first definitely for compassion is this, "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering."

You know, there are a lot of people who are suffering right now, and I know that I can do a lot more to "alleviate the suffering." Sometimes just smiling or saying hi to people can really help. We don't have to do huge things to help, but every small act of kindness helps move the work forward. We're all doing our best while we're here. We're all trying to put our best foot forward and find that true inner happiness. I know where I can find that true inner happiness, and I'm working really hard to keep that happiness with me always because I know how important that happiness is. I need it. Having a little bit of compassion for others can make a huge difference if we'll let ourselves do our part. This work will move forward and we will be able to help other people move forward with the compassion we show towards them. Please know that we're all doing our best. We're all just trying to make it through this earth life while enjoying the journey. Making our boxes bigger is scary, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. This entry is scary for me to post, but I feel it right now. I feel like in order to start progressing I need to be immovable and firm. Doing hard things is a part of this life, and it can only make us stronger and better prepared for our next challenges.

-Fluffy

“Violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.” -King Arthur (Camelot)