Do you possess the ability to understand and share the feelings of another? Are you able to be mindful enough to show empathy with deep listening? When you make a mistake can you own it and then forgive yourself? These are questions that don’t often come up in casual conversation, but if we’re to change our world for the better, to ignite a revolution of compassion, they need to be questions that direct our lives daily.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” -Dalai Lama
Let it be known that a lasting age of freedom begins with our choices, it is dependent on how we interact with each other, and our courage to be vulnerable to each other for the purpose of bringing authenticity and harmony to our lives as well as happiness and greater understanding to those we share life with.
Freedom Comes From Within
We’ve become a society with our own unique brand of ‘Freedom’. It’s has become an important buzzword most associated with pride, strength, independence and expression. Indeed, self determination is a universal human need… and yet our lives and needs are all so intertwined. Therein lies the paradox, how do we achieve ‘freedom’ when so much of our well-being is interdependent on others?
Try as we might, we can never gain true freedom depending on external forces alone. Freedom is not a gift from another, it is a gift that we give ourselves by making wise choices. It begins first with a spirit of compassion for our own hearts, by making peace with ourselves we are set free and better equipped to act with love and help others be kind to themselves. The self-empathy and compassion that we learn to show ourselves is a gift to be shared with others.
Unregulated emotionally reactionary behavior is like a prison in that it confines and isolates an individual, making authentic connection more difficult. Breaking free of this prison is the greatest gift that we can give ourselves and each other. Learning emotional intelligence and non-violent communication skills and utilizing them by practicing them in daily life and relationships is the true revolution that continues to build in the collective conscience of humankind.
“Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” -Albert Einstein
It’s this cycle of learning, sharing, and leading that fuels the revolution of compassion. “Empathy will set you free, compassion is revolution.”
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