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[This episode originally aired on July 4, 2023] The word “compassion” can seem so overwhelming in the face of all the suffering in the world that it can stop us in our tracks • while we’re imagining all the great gestures of compassion that we might do, we can miss the small, ordinary, daily acts of compassion that really do affect our world • some of the hardest compassion to feel is just being present with suffering that isn't fixable • this is what people in the hospice setting often do: they simply sit with someone who is passing from this life • that simple act of being present with someone can bring about a quality of deep acceptance • compassion can also be a momentary thing that completely shifts the energy—a smile or a glance, a simple recognition of a human being who, like you, is suffering • such little moments of connection are so subtle, but they ripple forward and can change our feeling for the whole day • at its core, that simple connection is really the seat of compassion; it may be even more important than the grand compassionate heal-the-world projects that we may imagine • it’s on the spot, it’s immediate, it’s not a big deal—but it can change everything for ourselves and for those we encounter.
By Judy Lief4.8
4949 ratings
[This episode originally aired on July 4, 2023] The word “compassion” can seem so overwhelming in the face of all the suffering in the world that it can stop us in our tracks • while we’re imagining all the great gestures of compassion that we might do, we can miss the small, ordinary, daily acts of compassion that really do affect our world • some of the hardest compassion to feel is just being present with suffering that isn't fixable • this is what people in the hospice setting often do: they simply sit with someone who is passing from this life • that simple act of being present with someone can bring about a quality of deep acceptance • compassion can also be a momentary thing that completely shifts the energy—a smile or a glance, a simple recognition of a human being who, like you, is suffering • such little moments of connection are so subtle, but they ripple forward and can change our feeling for the whole day • at its core, that simple connection is really the seat of compassion; it may be even more important than the grand compassionate heal-the-world projects that we may imagine • it’s on the spot, it’s immediate, it’s not a big deal—but it can change everything for ourselves and for those we encounter.

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