The many faces of compassion. I used to think of compassion as boring and exhausting-being a people pleaser for most of my prior life- I felt was my work of compassion, therefore I was done. But I was confused about what compassion meant. Compassion is different then Empathy. We say in the yoga therapy world to beware of “compassion fatigue” and burnout, but it is empathy that burns us out. It is pity that separates us.
Compassion takes courage. Compassion is courage. Compassion is Action. A compassionate heart is a warrior heart.
Empathy, is taking on other peoples shit. It is Carrying them and their story with you, and shape shifting yourself to mold your actions into something for someone else’s sake alone. Compassion is action. Action that transforms another’s pain, through dispassion to the story of suffering, and not having their story attached to us and our “fixing or helping.”
Compassion is to not hold on to our good works, rather let them role off us, like water off a leaf.
“After all this time, the sun never says to the earth, you owe me.”-Hafiz
Yogin are into the raw movement, like raw foodies. We accept raw emotion. Presence. To show up in our natural state, unmasked and Fear-LESS.
As fearlessness washes over us; We wake up. It is like the covers being thrown off of you at the break of day, by your beloved that can’t stand for you to sleep another minute of it away. It is wanting to run naked into the streets screaming, “I AM alive and awake,” like St. Francis of Assisi.
We are warriors of truth, and nobody can stand in our way, not even God herself. Warriors must have purpose, concentration, and skillful action that takes constant whetting, like sharpening our weapons, only ours are weapons of consciousness.
Let our weapons be blades of compassion that penetrate my heart to yours.
If we are to become awakened, let us not forget our senses, for we must Act in the world.
Use the senses to look CARE-FULLY, touch CARE-FULLY, listen CARE-FULLY and speak CARE-FULLY. Compassion has many faces but all are awake and caring fully; to completion.
You are a warrior. This man, Antoine Leiris, who shared his story about losing his wife in the Paris attack on the Bataclan has penetrated my soul, as warrior of compassion. Especially his words. “And every day of his life, this little boy will insult you with his happiness and freedom.” (in regards to the 17 month old left behind by his mother’s death.) See the Full Story Here.
May we all overcome darkness and step into the light. Throw open the shutters and insult any darkness, any shadow, any ignorance, with our happiness.
Be. Free. Liberated. Light.
