Hello reader,
Brian Taylor Author of 19 Books Since 2011, Web-Developer, Father, Etc.
Often in our haste to understand ourselves we stumble over moments where we felt out of sorts. At our worst humans can find ways to be cruel without giving it much thought, only later to wonder what prompts such behavior in us.
Imagine yourself being asked about someone else’s misfortunes. Depending upon what they are you may or may not particularly care for any number of reasons, some of which include:
- Your perception of that person perhaps deserving such a misfortune
- Your perception of the person relaying the information
- Your belief in the magnitude of such a misfortune
- Your general interest in the subject at that time
To measure what you believe to be a hardship could be a sign of your willingness to care under certain conditions, but is also a sign of your resistance to do so when there isn’t much of a point in your own reckoning.
The differences we feel in our own compassion have more to do with what we believe we can access emotionally, or put simply, how whole we feel. Put another way that might be easier to agree with, “We have an easier time caring about others when we feel like things are going okay for us personally.”
I only mention “whole-ness” because while it might seem like an unfamiliar term, it is in fact closer to the truth of our condition when we don’t feel challenged by our circumstances.
To understand our nature in such a way might be easier when we look at our sense of well being as the source of our compassion for others. It is something we do well to tend to mindfully, when we recognize that we don’t feel particularly concerned with the well being of others.
When you have read what was just written and responded mentally by rejecting the notion. You are simply doing what is natural when you feel like there isn’t much point in worrying about such things.
That would be a normal reaction for many, but for those who wish for a greater depth of compassion it is an important lesson. Depending upon how we feel, we can measure our distance from well being by our reactions and make small course corrections by such attention.
Getting back towards well being is a process of accepting that either we allow such a feeling or resist it by choices we make. Getting quicker to choose how we wished to respond and holding to that idea.
That crafts our sense of identity, and helps us keep it in sych with our chosen way to be.
By such methods we can recognize our tendencies and decide if we like them or not, as a piece of the puzzle we ourselves construct while coming to know ourselves.
Namaste, and thanks for reading this!
For more of our articles on philosophy click here…
AlwaysEditorial 