Defining Compassion as a Unifying Force
From a raging global pandemic to the the engulfing flames of systemic racism, this year has found the world facing an amalgamation of violent phenomena. There is not only a collective yearning, but a need to do better as a society.We find ourselves faced with many difficult, yet crucial discussions ahead. Cultivating an attitude of compassion can go a long way towards fostering profoundly positive change.
However, the deeper we dive into these conversations, the quicker we realise that language itself poses its own subtleties.
There are certain words that recur in important conversations. We each look at these words through our own lenses, thus our interpretations of complex words can differ drastically.
This begs the need for us to define our individual understandings of these terms before beginning such conversations. In keeping with this, I will present the definition that I hold the word “compassion” against. In doing so, I hope that I can shed some light on compassion’s capacity to bring us closer together.
We may all have different understandings and definitions of the word compassion. The beauty of diversity is reflected in the range of perspectives it yields. Some of us may associate compassion with taking pity on someone. Others may view it as feeling sorry for someone in a difficult predicament. Some may even view it as a feeble, weak substance possessed by those who are not hardened to the realities of the world.
My take is subtly different. I view compassion as a mindset. It is a mindset wherein we strive to understand the perspectives of others, and in doing so are better equipped to grapple with their challenges and difficulties.
The Dalai Lama articulates this view of compassion superbly. He conveys that no matter the people, or even whether they have good qualities or unattractive qualities we should recognise them as human beings just like ourselves. They yearn for happiness and the absence of suffering just as we do. He goes on to express that:
“When you recognize that all beings are equal in both their desire for happiness and their right to obtain it, you automatically feel empathy and closeness for them.”
This concept is not unique to Buddhism, albeit sometimes expressed in slightly different words. A biblical verse expressing this is as follows:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
This concept of compassion can also be inferred from:
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31).
The Hindu scriptures convey a similar message with Lord Krishna stating in the Bhagavad-Gita (6.32) that a devotee should feel universal empathy. The verse itself can be translated as:
“He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress”.
To understand this simply, we can look to everyday life. When our loved ones encounter challenges, struggles, and setbacks we often feel for them. We may feel for them when these hardships don’t directly affect us, or even in spite of them being at fault in some way.
However, should a stranger be met with the same set of difficulties, many of us would not extend the same sense of care or understanding.
It is not that we don’t feel any sense of concern for such strangers, but rather the extent and nature of the concern. Some may argue that this is by design, and that we can not reasonably feel this way about the entirety of humanity. To an extent, this is true. Yet, there is immense value in understanding the perspectives and challenges of others without being swayed too strongly by our emotions.
When we think back to the understanding and care we afford our loved ones but not strangers, there is another explanation. We are acutely aware of the story behind the struggles of our loved ones. We show compassion by understanding their perspectives, and in doing so understand their pain. Compassion does not necessarily mean solving their individual problems, or suffering the pain of the world. Rather through this understanding of perspective we are driven to care, offer support, and help where we have the capacity to do so.
Compassion is a phenomenal force that has power to unify the world. It is natural that as humans, we each come with our own biases and markedly different perspectives. However, this does not make us incapable of trying to understand perspectives different from our own — even if we don’t agree with these perspectives.
In the opening graphic I depicted the African continent as being a vibrant green color, whilst the rest of the world remained a lacklustre brown. This was not done to elevate the status of the African continent over the rest of the world. Rather, it served to symbolise my own worldview which was shaped in South Africa. This worldview (or perspective) comes packaged with its own set of biases. However, just as the heart can pump blood to and from far-lying areas of the body, so too can I strive to be guided by compassion to understand different perspectives and the challenges faced by the multitude of people across the globe.
I can strive to understand and care about the challenges and perspectives of those who are different from me. I can strive to understand and care about the challenges and perspectives of those who find themselves in precarious situations. Through this understanding, I can guide my initiatives to help in the capacity I am able to. My understanding is far from perfect — So powerful is this force of compassion that just a drop originating in Africa can have a massive impact on even the most far-flung regions of the world.
But first, we must embrace it.
