Do you Know Compassion?
And does compassion know you?
What’s your relationship with compassion?
Do you give and receive it in equal measure?
How compassionate are you to you?
I’ve been digging around a field of multi-modal psychology known as Compassion-Focused Therapy, with which I must admit to being slightly obsessed.
Having spent a day trauma training with CFT expert and author, Dr Chris Irons, I’m compelled to share a short string of consciousness on the subject which might inspire some self-inquiry.
What is compassion, anyway?
Out there is a world of ‘hustling’ and ‘grinding’. Dogs apparently dine on dogs, and empathy seems light on the ground.
One wonders where our collective consciousness is on the compassion scale. It’s a little more than rough out there right now, isn’t it.
When you think of compassion, what words materialise? Is compassion empathy, kindness, non-judgement, understanding, warmth, loving, and helpful?
Or is compassion weakness, woo-woo, pitiful, letting folks off the hook, indulgent, narcissistic, or selfish?
According to Dr Irons, “Compassion is a motive, not an emotion”. Not that he’s suggesting compassion is devoid of…
