As the teachings show us, in order for us to respond to suffering – our own, and that of others – it is essential that we very consciously give ourselves permission to pause, to temporarily take some sacred time to shore up our own capacity for wisdom and compassion, so that we don't allow what's happening to harden our hearts. This pause is often called "sacred," because when we allow ourselves to enter it, we become better able to not only see what is true, but what is needed.