Today's word: compassion

Empathy, genuine care for another being.

I have a soft heart so sometimes I care a little too much.

Can we ever care too much? We however have to watch out for those taking an advantage out of it, and us. I admire empathy, and genuine care for another being. You truly are a lovely person. :-)

Hehe you're being far too kind.

I don't know maybe "too much" means I don't care for myself in the same way.

I need to be open to the reality of my pain in all its nuances, just as it is,

not exaggerated, not minimised, not indulged, not evaded.

No, not just my pain, but all my feelings -

because they are felt relative to all other feelings,

which makes every feeling important, a compass, a guide,

if only I can find the wisdom to know how to use it.

Compassion's the same.

Often the thing that's most needed is for someone to just listen, really listen, no advice, no judgement -

maybe just reflect back their reality, and checking that we've really understood it from their point of view.

But compassion can be sharing a water bottle.

Or it could be getting up to a phone call at 3 am to take a friend to hospital.

Or intervening to stop someone getting beaten up.

It might mean refraining from giving help. Sometimes a band-aid only perpetuates a problem. Someone has to reach their lowest point of tolerance before they are ready to climb back out of the pit they dug themselves into.

Sometimes "reframing" helps. Describing the same situation from a different perspective, a positive or constructive one.

Sometimes asking the right question, an open question, helps a person find their own answers.

I use two guides to help me decide if, when and how to help: Can they do it on their own? Would help make it significantly easier? Can I help without harming myself? My answers need to be No, Yes, and Yes.

Some people are what I think of as professional victims - they make their livelihood by causing others to feel sorry for them - give an inch and they latch on and turn into parasites. They have an unerring instinct in picking prey. i don't give them the juice they want.

Compassion is love. It is cooking healthy, delicious food. Building shelter. Knitting a warm, wooly beanie.

It is making things a little easier for others and being considerate of their needs.

That's something totally different dear. Not unknown to me though. You need to take the care shared with you when offered, and not always put yourself at the end of the line to help others. You cannot keep balanced unless.

Please do me the favour caring more for yourself just a bit more each day. Feel free to check in with me each day, telling me how you progress. Ups and downs. :-)

I love it. I love the perspective. It's all about compassion. Thank you so much putting your words on it. I really loved reading every word of it. Thank you. :-)

Thank you for the warmth and appreciation in your response.

It gives me a little shot of joy! :)

It's my pleasure. It came from my heart. I'm the one thank you hartfire. Enjoy your little shot of joy. You deserve it :-)

:-)

We all got to protect ourselves in the ways that suits us the best. If people doesn't want to be helped, truly helped it is a lost case. To me it doesn't necessarily mean that I cannot find compassion for them, but I might not invest my resources to help them if they did not show any efforts on previous occasions. :-)

Did not expect any other from you. Take care. Bye.

:-)

Everyone can love those who are nice but if we love our enemies, and treat others the way we want to be treated when they hate us.That is pleasing to God, and very rare:)

Compassion is having the ability to be able to put yourself in someone else's shoes.  It's having a true empathy for what they may be going through.

Compassion to me hasn't anything to do with any God(s). As a non-religious person I will find my compassion. I have no natural enemies as I see the world. There are a lot of bad people around. I will disapprove them, and dislike them. However I can still feel compassion with them should bad things happen to them, but most of all I don't wish them bad. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on yesterday's word. It is appreciated. :-)

I agree, empathy is essential for compassion. Thank you for your reply. Wise as always.

:-)

Do we have to have compassion to help someone? Is love an feeling or an action? I think it is great to have compassion for someone and empathy too, it is very important, but we can still treat people decently even if we don't, yes?.

Love is how you define it. It's a conceptualisation. Maybe I should make it today's word one of the days. To me compassion or empathy might be what love is to you. Love for me is something precious and shared with my close ones. But that will be my definition.

Decency isn't about love compassion or empathy to me. It's about showing respect towards other persons and/or things (society, others property, etc.). Decency should go on that today's word list too.

Respect (should also be a today's word at a time) is something we give and earn in our ways of dealing with our surroundings. It's a give and take. However I see no reason in looking up those people who doesn't want to engage in a mutual respect in our ways dealing with each other. Hmm.