Compassion is the desire or feeling to help to alleviate the suffering of others, to make a positive difference to their lives. It is not necessary to empathize in order to be compassionate, it is rather that we see others’ suffering and are moved to act to alleviate it through our thoughts, words or actions so as to not allow anyone to be affected.
We see peoples’ compassion in action in different ways: some people try to make that difference through politics and others via economics/by organizing disaster relief programmes/with prayer and meditation for example. There is also ‘compassionate farming’ and various environmental movements that have arisen out of compassion for the living planet.
Compassion burn-out? An important component of being compassionate, is to have compassion for ourselves too, otherwise we end up burnt-out, ill and unable to help any more. Self-compassion is our protection against this. It is our insurance to be be able to give of our best. If I truly want to help others then I have to make sure that I am ‘fit’ enough to help first. Be aware that sometimes we even immerse ourselves in helping others as a way of avoiding our own problems.
To be truly compassionate to myself and others I need to find a ‘position of security’ where I feel secure in my own intrinsic worth and in my own true & loving nature. This type of security comes from self-knowledge, self-respect and from knowing my own inner nature. Nothing external can give this same degree of security and without it it is difficult to be selflessly compassionate as either I find I am defending myself or I take hurt in some way from something that is said etc. The more I feel whole and valuable the more I can give. Only then can i truly be of help and enable others to move away from the feelings and experiences of suffering.
