Thank you for this. It helps to clarify a lot regarding what the challenges in life are really about. It is commonly thought that to truly love is a matter of shutting down the power of the 'ego' -- which has been 'translated' via the acronym, 'Edging G-d Out'. That may be true if we were to think of ego as exclusively self-protective--that is, laser focused on preserving one's own persistence in physical being. But what if it were to be laser focused on preserving the humanity of the 'Other'--ensuring the integrity and growth of 'alterity'--of that which is 'not-me'? Recognizing that without the 'Other' there is no possibility of relationship and without the possibility of relationship, my own possibilities are undermined and reduced.
It is all very much in line with the phenomenological philosophy--that which has been called the 'ethics'--of Emmanuel Lévinas. I think. But the general idea is not limited to Lévinas. Not by a long shot.
This was a great discussion, Adam. Thank you. I’m enjoying your articles and they’re teaching me how to write about “the soft side of medicine and healing”.
I think of compassion as a quality of conscious that flows through us from a place that is more refined than our normal thinking, analyzing mind.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t cost anything. Relating to others with compassion is like opening a pipeline of love and vitality that flows through us and provides a net gain of energy, insight, and emotional stability.
Most people who avoid getting close to suffering think they're protecting themselves from compassion itself, when what they're actually avoiding is the undifferentiated version where someone else's pain becomes indistinguishable from your own. That's a completely different state with a completely different cost structure, and confusing the two keeps a lot of people locked out of something that would actually cost them very little to practice.
The hardest thing ever is to have any compassion for someone who has actually hurt you. That could enable forgiveness and forgiveness is the most difficult lesson for a human being to learn. At the very least, it is worth trying to have compassion for people who have not done any real harm.
Thank you for this. It helps to clarify a lot regarding what the challenges in life are really about. It is commonly thought that to truly love is a matter of shutting down the power of the 'ego' -- which has been 'translated' via the acronym, 'Edging G-d Out'. That may be true if we were to think of ego as exclusively self-protective--that is, laser focused on preserving one's own persistence in physical being. But what if it were to be laser focused on preserving the humanity of the 'Other'--ensuring the integrity and growth of 'alterity'--of that which is 'not-me'? Recognizing that without the 'Other' there is no possibility of relationship and without the possibility of relationship, my own possibilities are undermined and reduced.
It is all very much in line with the phenomenological philosophy--that which has been called the 'ethics'--of Emmanuel Lévinas. I think. But the general idea is not limited to Lévinas. Not by a long shot.
Beautifully written
TY!
This was a great discussion, Adam. Thank you. I’m enjoying your articles and they’re teaching me how to write about “the soft side of medicine and healing”.
I think of compassion as a quality of conscious that flows through us from a place that is more refined than our normal thinking, analyzing mind.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t cost anything. Relating to others with compassion is like opening a pipeline of love and vitality that flows through us and provides a net gain of energy, insight, and emotional stability.
Everyone wins.
Wishing you well.
"Everyone wins." We all need to learn this better. TY!
Most people who avoid getting close to suffering think they're protecting themselves from compassion itself, when what they're actually avoiding is the undifferentiated version where someone else's pain becomes indistinguishable from your own. That's a completely different state with a completely different cost structure, and confusing the two keeps a lot of people locked out of something that would actually cost them very little to practice.
Yes. Great point...
The hardest thing ever is to have any compassion for someone who has actually hurt you. That could enable forgiveness and forgiveness is the most difficult lesson for a human being to learn. At the very least, it is worth trying to have compassion for people who have not done any real harm.