Compassion?
Wednesday, 28. January 2009, 17:04:05
A short post only, to explore some concepts that possibly are easily misunderstood
Chapter 67
Everyone in the world calls my Tao great
As if it is beyond compare
It is only because of its greatness
That it seems beyond compare
If it can be compared
It would already be insignificant long ago!
I have three treasures
I hold on to them and protect them
The first is called compassion
The second is called conservation
The third is called not daring to be ahead in the world
Compassionate, thus able to have courage
Conserving, thus able to reach widely
Not daring to be ahead in the world
Thus able to assume leadership
Now if one has courage but discards compassion
Reaches widely but discards conservation
Goes ahead but discards being behind
Then death!
If one fights with compassion, then victory
With defense, then security
Heaven shall save them
And with compassion guard them
I think we all can get this view of compassion as somehow 'fluffy' and 'gentle' and indeed it is and can be, but i think sometimes we make the mistake of shying away from reflecting some home truths out of a misplaced sense of 'gentle' when perhaps the most compassionate thing in the long term is to show someone the true ramifications of their actiosn and behaviours?
This is i think particularly pertinant in cases where multiple innocent people get hurt by the behaviour or one or two people whom no-one has wanted to be 100% honest with regarding the negativity of their own behaviours.
Sometimes in nature we see gentle days, gentle rains and sometimes hard rains whilst causing seeming devestation in the short term allow for positive change and growth in the long term.
Just somethign to consider and in no way is this advising us all to go off half-cocked and laying it on the line for everyone we know, just as nature uses harsh weather at the opportune moments so too must we consider carefully before taking any step that amy cause harm short or long term. Just saying sometimes true compassion is about more than giving someone a cup of tea and a hug.
peace to you
beccaxx
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 2. February 2009, 09:41
A very good point indeed! Compassion, like all other human attributes, comes in many different shapes and forms. If compassion was merely static, it wouldn't be dynamic.