There is nothing like significant acts of violence in the world to make my own struggles and aspirations seem trivial. Baghdad, Dallas, Bangladesh, Baton Rouge, Yemen, Orlando, St. Paul…the list could go on.
What do we do with all of this pain? How do we stay present to it without overwhelming ourselves or becoming numb? How do we reconcile our feelings of anger and injustice with our desire to bring more compassion into the world?
So many people have been left hurting and in despair. It makes the fear of running out of gas on the highway seem laughable.
I start to wonder why I am on this soapbox – urging people to tell their stories, to seek a fuller and more resonant path, to let go of self-limiting beliefs and live out a more empowered and authentic version of themselves.
If we are all busy staring into the mirror, who will be there to witness the devastation that is taking place all over the world? Who will be there to speak out against injustice and take a stand for courageous leadership and conversation?
But what if that courageous leadership and conversation cannot happen without taking a look in the mirror first?
It is a deeply held belief of mine that we cannot heal the world without first healing ourselves, that we must first take a look inward at our own woundings and come to terms with our own stories. We must learn how to hold ourselves with compassion and tenderness; we must be willing to acknowledge our pain and our fear. And we must choose to abide in love.
Only when we are in touch with our own humanity and our own divinity, can we begin to truly see them in others.
There is a compassion revolution going on at this moment. Perhaps because we feel powerless in the face of such violence. Perhaps because otherwise we would be overwhelmed by feelings of anguish or anger. Perhaps because we need to still believe in the inherent goodness of the world.
I like to imagine that if the world were in complete darkness, we could each kindle our own light from within, and all of those small beacons could be the light of the world.
So, while an empty fuel tank on the highway may be a small problem in comparison to the current global distress, in looking into my own heart, in embracing my own humanity, I kindle a flame that I can share with others.
Let compassion be your compass. Let it guide you toward the spark that lives within you.
In this way, we can become beacons of hope for each other. And in doing so, we can light the way forward.
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What do we do with all of this pain? How do we stay present to it without overwhelming ourselves or becoming numb? How do we reconcile our feelings of anger and injustice with our desire to bring more compassion into the world?
So many people have been left hurting and in despair. It makes the fear of running out of gas on the highway seem laughable.
I start to wonder why I am on this soapbox – urging people to tell their stories, to seek a fuller and more resonant path, to let go of self-limiting beliefs and live out a more empowered and authentic version of themselves.
If we are all busy staring into the mirror, who will be there to witness the devastation that is taking place all over the world? Who will be there to speak out against injustice and take a stand for courageous leadership and conversation?
But what if that courageous leadership and conversation cannot happen without taking a look in the mirror first?
It is a deeply held belief of mine that we cannot heal the world without first healing ourselves, that we must first take a look inward at our own woundings and come to terms with our own stories. We must learn how to hold ourselves with compassion and tenderness; we must be willing to acknowledge our pain and our fear. And we must choose to abide in love.
Only when we are in touch with our own humanity and our own divinity, can we begin to truly see them in others.
There is a compassion revolution going on at this moment. Perhaps because we feel powerless in the face of such violence. Perhaps because otherwise we would be overwhelmed by feelings of anguish or anger. Perhaps because we need to still believe in the inherent goodness of the world.
I like to imagine that if the world were in complete darkness, we could each kindle our own light from within, and all of those small beacons could be the light of the world.
So, while an empty fuel tank on the highway may be a small problem in comparison to the current global distress, in looking into my own heart, in embracing my own humanity, I kindle a flame that I can share with others.
Let compassion be your compass. Let it guide you toward the spark that lives within you.
In this way, we can become beacons of hope for each other. And in doing so, we can light the way forward.
*** if you are interested in receiving my blog posts to your Inbox, please click the button below. ***
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