I've been weaning off social media for some years. I've now been completely off twitter and facebook for a month. Twitter for 2 months actually. Twitter was always my very favorite. I did a video about it some years ago because it was such a positively transformative experience for me. That said, all things change... Continue Reading →
I talk about self-protection as legitimate because it absolutely is. What I'm trying to underscore is that when we self-protect we also understand the situation of the other -- that nobody is toxic but there are only forms of woundedness that interplay with our particular karmic inheritance. We are sometimes the one that harms (even if only unintentionally) and other times we are the ones that are harmed but it's all an interplay of woundedness and when we start to understand this we can move through more gently and with love and forgiveness even for those who have perhaps harmed us. ...
Learning to love. We must learn to love, learn to be kind, and this from earliest youth; if education or chance gives us no opportunity to practice these feelings, our soul becomes dry and unsuited even to understanding the tender inventions of loving people. Likewise, hatred must be learned and nurtured, if one wishes to become a proficient hater; otherwise the germ for that, too, will gradually wither. … [click on title to read and view more]
What if there is something fundamental about empathy such that when we cannot act on it, we lose part of ourselves, perhaps even our humanity? What if we have unwittingly created a world in which we chip away at our capacity for empathy, and with it, one of the unique traits of humankind: the ability to love beyond kinship and species boundaries? Can we continually be exposed to violence and degradation, particularly through the media, and maintain empathy towards the suffering of others, or must we begin to shut down, feeling a little less compassion in exchange for a sense of safety, if not hope? … [click on title to read and view more]
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty... … [click on title to read more]
Empathy is a respectful understanding of what others are experiencing. Instead of offering empathy, we often have a strong urge to give advice or reassurance and to explain our own position or feeling. Empathy, however, calls upon us to empty our mind and listen to others with our whole being... … [click on title to read the rest]
Outrospection is all about empathy. (hat tip to Smiling Buddha Cabaret) Introspection is out, and outrospection is in. Philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can help drive social change by stepping outside ourselves. Empathy can cause revolution it says. I'm in agreement. … [click on title to read the rest]
Self-compassion, empathy towards oneself and the willingness to be vulnerable paired with ongoing awareness are the qualities we need to nurture so that we might heal our mind and body and after that the mind and bodies of others and then the planet too. Bringing mindfulness to our own lives with these powerful states of consciousness can be part of the beginning of change. Paying attention to a process is changing the process!
Making people out to be evil when they are simply unconscious obfuscates the problem. When we are clear on how unclear others can be we begin to be able to find compassion and empathy and thus a way to communicate too. We learn this by traveling through and recognizing our own lack of clarity.
Shame and empathy
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