Prompt: What’s one small act of compassion I could offer this week without needing anything back?
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
A reflection on compassion. In a world filled with all kinds of despair, including the screens that suck our attention away from what really matters. We need to find it deep within to bridge the gap between a troubled soul and someone who is actually doing okay. Compassion can heal a situation and bring out the goodness that exists in all of us.
A “hard battle” indeed that this life is currently in. I know the world is in a tough spot, but when is it never not in a tough spot? I believe that we know good from evil; light from darkness; love from hate. When we as people look around us, we can see many emotions, events and even strangeness from the actions being placed into the world by others. We witness these events, but then we have to respond in ways which come deep within the soul. Compassion comes from your inner soul, and it should be released outward for those who are needing it. Through a journey of working on another project, and discovering the kinds of people going through major hardships in the world, we can really step up to the plate and tell those who are suffering that the sun will rise tomorrow; that they are being seen by our own eyes and not through a screen; that you look at their face, their mannerisms, their feelings, their words, their language developed deep within; we have a chance to save someone’s life through an act of compassion, and that should always be on the forefront of one’s mind, as it truly strips you down to a level of humbleness that is hard to not acknowledge regularly on a day-to-day operation.
Compassion is the idea of forming a bridge between broken souls. This world only rips us to shreds; beats us down to a point where we ask what is the point anymore; making us angry, sad, depressed, anxious, and defeated. The feeling of defeat is one of true darkness; especially in this day and age. As someone who has felt much pressure in the last couple of months; that has felt the souls of the others hurting every single day; to witnessing actions for the worse of humankind all around us. And add the layer of screens, that is much of why we are witnessing many insane events. Seneca once again, as I like to quote in these letters, talks about that notion itself. He states: “Everywhere means nowhere. When a person spends all their time in foreign travel, they end by having many acquaintances, but no friends."
Think about this metaphor for a second. ‘Everywhere means nowhere’ because constant access to everything can leave us with many acquaintances and no real connection; to many things that we already have. We have endless access to any and all things in the world now, thanks to the screens around us. But if one continues to flaunt travel plans on social media, is that person truly enjoying the experiences and pursuing more goodness for the world? Or is it for enjoyment, only seeing those acquaintances that you come in contact with? I believe when one has it good for themselves, they will only show the good parts of their life; traveling all over the world, seeing things; accessing the knowledge of all kinds of great thinkers online and through A.I.; distractions is the only thing that seem to really give those kinds of individuals purpose. If seeing the world and all of its glory is your stance, that’s amazing; but challenge yourself to go further than just seeing a mountain of awe; do something amazing for someone in a foreign land who is going through struggles beyond your vacation; tutor and help someone who is uneducated in an area and don’t belittle them for not knowing; as we just said, “everywhere means nowhere.”
Tolstoy even has a great quote when it comes to compassion saying: “Real compassion begins only when you put yourself in the place of those who suffer, and you feel real suffering.” And in a world filled with only seeing the people seeing exotic locations; flaunting the homes that not too many people can afford; to not seeing the hierarchy process of the ways of the world; we tend to forget that there are people who are living a life worse than ourselves. And when we begin to humble ourselves acknowledging this level of sadness, we can find the acts of kindness and compassion to come out. That is the human law of connection. Bridge the gap from darkness and death to light and the way of the world.
There are going to be people who always take the other route; otherwise we would not be in this position as I am writing this. Some people believe that “everything happens for a reason” - and while yes to a degree, we only understand ourselves in the moment based on the reflections we have from this world. We only know how to move forward based on reflection. Reflection allows you to find compassion deep within yourself; reflection allows you to begin to find trust again, something that is hard to find in this current time period; reflection grants you to see the pitfalls within yourself and begin to take the steps to get better. To make this world a better place, one must find the courage deep within to forgive, to be kind, to be a selfless person, and to make sure you are accepting of all things and not finding those judgments coming out.
Highly impulsive social media use is just like a drug, much like I have discussed before in these letters. If one finds the urge to jump to a comment section and start “rage-baiting” - the term I have been hearing quite a bit recently - that human will find themselves in a true pit of despair that will only dampen by the day. Again, an information diet is good for the soul; set timers to get yourself out of the distraction; bring consciousness when you are sucked down that hole because then, and only then, can we find the real truth in reality.
I do worry that compassion is a hard thing to come by, but the one way someone can start finding it is by presenting it through themselves and their actions. We all have the power to do that, but we are often affected by our emotions so hard that we tend to be controlled by them; and when we can break the trance feeling that comes over us, it’s easy to see the time slip by; it’s easy to not do anything for anyone else; it’s easy to not take action because one would rather just laugh at the world’s pain through memes. And while I believe humor is great to have in times of hurting and darkness, it is a good reminder that it can’t be the only emotion to get one through tough times. It is hard to take action, but once you find that courage inside of you, to make a difference in someone’s life; to show that compassion and kindness they were looking for, one has no idea what it could do for someone. There are people who are minutes away from death, and one of the things one can remind themselves to do, is to remember this exact notion; what would you say to them if you knew this terminal diagnosis? Compassion or no action at all? I think most of us know what the answer should be; but do we have the courage to do so? Take the leap, it could change everything for you.
Main Thought: Be selfless in your quest of compassion. When you feel like you have a bad life going for you, remind yourself that someone has it worse than yourself; that is a fact. And when we can find those who are suffering that hard, be kind and compassionate towards them; we have no idea how much power that possesses when we can give it to someone who is in need of it.
This post is part of my "Letters to Myself" series — a weekly free-write blog where I explore personal growth, curiosity, and healing through simple prompts. Sometimes reflective, sometimes fun, but always real. Thank you for being here.
References:
Photo by Kyle Gare
Maclaren, Ian (John Watson). Quote widely attributed to him, though often misattributed to others online.
Seneca. Letters to Lucilius, Letter 2.
Tolstoy, Leo. A Calendar of Wisdom.
