Compassion

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

-John Watson

A young woman appears at the door of the village healer, distraught because her newborn baby has died. The older woman sadly tells her that nothing can be done for the baby, but the young mother insists. So the healer gives the young woman a cup. "Bring me a cup of water drawn from the well of a family that has never seen tragedy. From that I can make a potion for the baby," she instructs. The tearful mother, still clutching the dead baby and the empty cup, then goes from house to house to house to house in the village... You can guess the rest of the story.

No matter who you see today, know one thing about them: they have or have had, a mighty struggle.

Perhaps it is a physical affliction and the smile you see is a great achievement. Maybe, like with me, the emotions are so powerful that at times, it is almost impossible to find balance and peace. It could be a mental challenge, or even a crisis of spirit.

No one you ever meet is free of afflictions, either presently or in their past. This is why everyone deserves your compassion. More than that, despite appearances, everyone you ever meet is also something of a master! Or they would not even be here. This world is grueling and as such, an ideal place to have experiences that facilitate quick realization of the suffering we cause. It's like the accelerated learning class!

The lesson for me is gentleness. I see that the problems of the world today are such that change is absolutely got to happen, but the how of it can be harsh or gentle. So my practice is to be gentle with myself and gentle with others.