Widening Circles
I watched a spider spinning its web last evening for a few moments, seemingly suspended in midair. It was stunning.
When I watch (or more often listen) to news, I can also find it stunning. But instead of awe, I experience fear and deep concern. News outlets go for the headline-grabbers, and there is no shortage of disturbing news. It can be so discouraging.
Here is where compassion comes in. Letting the spider be to do what spiders do to survive and thrive, and, at the same time, not letting the news paralyze me.
What can I do for flood victims hundreds of miles away or children in war-torn countries half a world away? I can sit in silence and let my heart feel compassion. I don’t know their pain, but I can feel human pain. I can offer a prayer. Does it make a difference? I believe it does. The pause and softening allows me to bring my kinder self to whatever I am doing next, rather than be hardened by the hopelessness that can sweep me away.
I also believe that my little heart, opening wider where I sit in Minnesota, USA, puts out at least a little healing energy into the world. It matters. It truly does. You may be the next person I encounter and you receive a smile and a hello rather than being ignored by yet another person absorbed in their own thoughts and fears, or scrolling through continuous bad news on my phone. Connections, even those that are fleeting, are significant and needed in our disconnected culture.
We can practice compassion and strengthen it, starting with self-compassion and building from there. I have found the Healthy Minds App very helpful in expanding my awareness and practice of compassion and other positive and beneficial emotions.
Here are some of the words of wisdom and hope from a key contributor to Healthy Minds, Dr. Cortland Dahl:
“Compassion is the willingness to tackle suffering head-on.”
“Compassion is not weakness — it’s the opposite of weakness –it is confidence, inner strength and it connects us to others in powerful ways. It can rewire the brain. It’s a win-win.”
“Let your mind rest in open awareness. The surface of the mind may be turbulent or calm, but the clear water of awareness is always there, beneath the surface. Just notice this calm.”
It starts with calm awareness.
Want to stop the spread of violence? Spread compassion. We can each do this each day. Let’s put more healing and helpful energy out into the world. If we find ourselves able to help in other ways—with our talents and skills or our financial contributions—that certainly matters too. But if those types of contributions aren’t possible, let’s not let ourselves off the hook and do nothing.
Just a few moments of our time can widen circles of compassion to reach more of our fellow humans.
