Cultivate Compassion

It takes a much bigger person to be compassionate and tolerant of others than to criticise and condemn people. Any weak person can do that. It's easy to look down on others, to be cynical and distrustful or to see others only in terms of what they can possibly give to you.

A truly compassionate person can rise above fears of 'not wanting to be made a fool of' because when we are truly compassionate we don't treat others in ways that are worthy of them but in ways which are worthy of ourselves. If you are truly generous you don't treat a mean person meanly because you are not mean.

Selfish times

We live in selfish times. The twentieth century was dubbed the 'century' of the self and we talk of the 'me generation.' We all need to cultivate ourselves and to learn and develop as human beings but part of developing the self is looking after others. It has been said to 'truly help yourself you need to help others.' This means developing compassion.

Research has shown that doing regular charity work, for example, is good for your health and actually lowers mortality rate. Being too self-centred, on the other hand, is bad for physical and mental health. It seems we weren't meant to just think of ourselves but also to care for others.

What does compassion mean?

Compassion means seeing the humanity in others, being sensitive towards them and actually doing things to help them. It means caring about others, prioritising relationships and being loving towards and generally interested in others.

Cultivating compassion means seeing people as individuals with needs and concerns and weaknesses of their own. It means being tolerant of others and making allowances but not letting them tread all over you. Compassion isn't about doing things for others or being generous in order to 'get something in return'. It's not even about getting the 'buzz' from doing something 'good.' It's looking out for others simply because you want to help them. So, although being compassionate is good for you the paradox is that to be truly compassionate self interest (however well hidden in your mind) shouldn't be your motivation.

We are all the same

We live in times when differences in race and creed are emphasised but actually there are far more similarities between all peoples. We all have the same needs in life where ever we happen to live. This session will encourage your compassion because the world has never got enough compassionate people in it.

True civilisation

True civilisation isn't about art or music or wonderful architecture; just the things people usually associate with a civilised society. It is simply to do with how well one human being treats another human being-that is the real mark of a civilised society. Cultivating compassion may be central for the survival of the whole human race.

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