Empathy and Compassion

In the polarized world these days, more than ever, we need empathy and compassion.

Empathy and compassion are an essential part of being human; it is the basis of our morality. It is one of the traits which puts us aside from animals. It makes us civilized people instead of savages. Empathy and compassion are so important; we even make a hormone for it, oxytocin. Compassion is part of humanity and is a necessity.

Empathy and compassion are of such significance that every major religion encourages it. In the Bible, we have Jesus preaching about compassion, for example, the parable of the good Samaritan. Buddha also points at the importance of compassion; in separateness lies the world´s great misery, in compassion lies the world´s true strength.

Empathy and compassion bring us closer to each other. People are people, and we all struggle with the same life problems; we all have our stories, joys, and sorrows. We are not alone; understanding the other also brings a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Be compassionate, for every man is fighting a hard battle.

Ian Maclaren

Compassion is not pity and is not sympathy, and enemies of compassion are moral outrage and fear. We don´t always have to be right. It is not always about winning or losing. Showing empathy and compassion are NOT signs of weakness. It IS a vulnerable choice because to connect with somebody else’s feelings and emotions, we must connect with the emotions and feelings of ourselves. It takes strength and courage to show empathy and compassion, but this is empowering us. Empathy fuels connection, and it is the ability to take someone else´s perspective and recognize it as their truth.

Another important aspect is to stay out of judgment. Imagine how your life would change if you stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people. What if you would change your perspective and tried to find the good in other people and respect them for the journey they are making. In Spiral Dynamics, this corresponds with the Teal level. On this level, there is less judgment and more appreciation and compassion and having more awareness of each other’s strengths.

Be aware of the complexity of someone’s life, and when you are upset about someone or someone annoys you, it is just a small part of this person you are reacting to. Shared joy doubles it, and shared suffering lessens it.

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