So much depends on compassion. In a world where indifference seems to be the norm, where the common denominator is “us vs them,” where empathy is viewed as a character weakness, and where common civility and decency have evaporated into the very atmosphere surrounding us, there remains hope. There must be hope that the country we leave for our children and grandchildren is nurturing and positive, not torn asunder by those who refuse to think of others in terms other than vermin or poison or the enemy.
This may sound utterly altruistic and optimistic, a Pollyanna walking through life with rose-colored shades, a perpetual smile, and bounce in her step that defies everything swirling around her. I assure you, I am not a Pollyanna. The Dalai Lama said, “A person who practices compassion and forgiveness has great inner strength, whereas aggression is usually a sign of weakness.” The willingness to practice compassion demands a great deal of strength, mental acuity, and personal fortitude because there are many who will decry compassion as the position of submission.
As we peruse the world around us at this moment, we can readily identify aggression in thought, word, and deed. Aggression is praised as the means to our intended goals. “Strong” leaders, who are quick to imprison, nullify, silence, and eliminate those who speak with a conflicting voice, are held up by some as leaders worthy of emulation.
The opposite is the truth. The “strongest” people who come to mind who throughout history exhibited characteristics that make humans most proud, are people such as Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, and Nelson Mandela among countless others. A main characteristic shared by these leaders is their ability to feel compassion, empathy for their fellow inhabitants of this planet. If indeed we view “all men as created equal,” if indeed we “love our neighbors as ourselves,” if indeed we can “walk in another man’s shoes,” then certainly we can view the world and its residents with compassion.
Compassion does not mean to feel sorry for another or to feel pity for a person or an entire group of people. Feeling sorry for someone does not require action from us. Pity can allow us to view ourselves as somehow superior or more “deserving” than another, and therefore can make us less “liable” in our own eyes. Neither of these is compassion.
Compassion requires that we refuse to idly and silently stand aside or turn away from injustice, harm, vilification, the attempts of invalidation that one person or group of people use against another person or group. We can make a difference. We have voices that yearn to be heard. We must utilize our backbones, minds, and common sense to boldly and consistently proclaim what is right. It has been said in various ways that those who do nothing to stop or prevent injustice share a complicity within that injustice.
Compassion must not be limited to writing a check, or volunteering for a few hours a week, or praying on any day of the week, or tsking our tongues against the roofs of our mouths while watching the evening news saying, “My, those poor people.” Compassion is a full-out commitment that necessitates that we ask ourselves, what are we willing and able to do to actually make things right, to make things better…and then proceed to do exactly that.
It is not an easy decision to be undertaken lightly. You may be called a “bleeding heart” – which I put forth as preferred over a non-bleeding heart – or a liberal, or some other identifying designation that is intended to be derogatory. No, the decision to practice compassion compels each of us to call upon “the better angels of our nature,” to quote Abraham Lincoln.
As the important election date rises in our near future, as the name-calling and hate fueled divisive rhetoric slams us from many tv and radio stations, from pundits who promote lies and misinformation, it is imperative that we filter the disparaging “dialogue.” We need to redirect our focus on how we identify truth, honor, integrity, moral turpitude, and unjust behavior. Identification is the beginning, not the end.
I would love to have a dollar for every time I said that I would never ever even attempt tell another person what to think. Heck, I could be one wealthy, albeit still elderly, woman. None of us need someone to tell us what to think, but all of us need to remind ourselves to think. Topics of import rarely just flitter from the skies fully formed with complete understanding. Nope, we have to think, and then think again. It is up to us to discern the measure, weight, and significance of topics which can alter our lives or the lives of others.
These topics include such matters as democracy, immigration, abortion, education, religion, what is and what is not an entitlement, what is fair and just, for whom do we cast our vote, gun violence, protection of the environment, the list is truly never ending. Even a most superficial appraisal of these topics demands of us the utmost careful and in-depth thinking. Critical thinking should never be underrated or disparaged.
Bertrand Russell, regarded by many as a thinker and speaker of truth, said, “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts.” How do we obliterate those doubts? We know what is right. We cannot continue to allow the man-made differences, destructive lies, and distorted perceptions to separate us from our fellow human beings.
Here’s the thing: We can learn to value compassion; it is within our capabilities We learn to talk by speaking; we learn to write by writing; we learn to think by thinking; likewise, we learn compassion by practicing compassion. It really is that simple.
bkreigh@adamswells.com
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Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles and opinions written by a group of retired and current teachers — Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
