Sparkle Weekly Wonderings: Compassion
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Art of Happiness
"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." ― Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Compassion is a verb." ― Thich Nhat Hanh
"For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you." ― Neil deGrasse Tyson
It should be no surprise that compassion has been in many conversations lately. During times of great polarity and conflict and disagreement and separation, I am grateful there are people who live by the quotes above. They not only speak about compassion, they model what compassionate living looks like.
In honor of these and so many other brave, bold, non-violent, and deeply compassionate humans, we dedicate this week’s theme to the practice of feeling someone else’s pain. This may not seem like an appealing thing to do, but deep down, we know that it is the only way we can bridge the growing chasm that contemporary political, economic, and cultural divides seem to be creating.
For as the Scottish author and theologian Ian Maclaren encouraged us: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,”
About the Author
David Sewell McCann
David Sewell McCann fell in love with spinning stories in first grade – the day a storyteller came to his class and captured his mind and imagination. He has been engaged in storytelling all of his adult life through painting, film-making, teaching and performing. Out of his experience as a Waldorf elementary class teacher and parent, he has developed a four step method of intuitive storytelling, which he now shares through workshops and through this website.
