About Me

A Woman of Dignity & Grace

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Compassion & Understanding

When do you show compassion & understanding?

Scenario 1

You are walking down the street and this woman bumps you so hard it almost knocks you to the ground and without turning around she yells, “Sorry” and keeps moving.
What is your reaction?

Here is mine

Past - I would have a sour look on my face and probably curse or yell some obscenities and called my friends to tell them what happened and to whomever else would listen. I would have been upset.
Present-I would’ve tried to move out of her way so that I wouldn’t get pushed and kept it moving. (How many times do you see the push before is comes and still get mad because you felt you shouldn’t have to move)

Scenario 2

You are walking down the street and this woman bumps you so hard it almost knocks you to the ground and she turns around with tears in her eyes, but doesn't say sorry.

What is your reaction?

Past-I would have a sour look on my face but when I would have noticed the tears I may have turned around and kept walking and maybe mumbled to myself.

Present-I would’ve brushed it off and kept moving.

For most of us scenario 1 would make us upset, angry and mad all at once. Why? Is it because we have taken this bump personally? How can a stranger we may never see again have so much control over us? See how when you don’t control our emotions and thoughts we allow space for someone else to do it.

Where am I going with this- We need to have compassion and understanding without hearing or seeing the story/reasons. Have you ever notice that once you hear the reason then you understand and in a matter of seconds your emotion shifts. Our lives would be so much calmer if we could live with understanding and compassion. I know this is not an easy thing but what is easy. In the long run it makes a better you and you are what are important, right? So the next time you see the token booth clerk who looks pissed - have some compassion and understanding. You never know what their story is, maybe this is there 2nd shift, or they just received an eviction notice or their cat croaked, but who cares what the story is just understand it’s not personal. How can it be?

Besides do you think the token booth clerk really doesn’t like you? What make you so special that out of hundreds of people you are the one? What makes the token booth clerk so special that you allow their actions to control your emotions and your thoughts throughout the day?

Make today the day where you have compassion and understanding for a total stranger. Then think about the how you felt at the moment. What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain? Steps into becoming a better you!!


How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the
weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of
these.

George Washington Carver


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