How can compassion be a sign of strength

We live in a world where seeking peaceful resolution is a radical ideology and nonviolence is equated with inaction. If compassion is a weakness, then I want to be as weak as possible. I want to be weak enough to let go of my need to be better than others.

I want to be weak enough to resist the urge to rank people by wealth, nationality, career, race, gender, and orientation. I want to be weak enough to be brokenhearted in the face of suffering and defenseless in the face of human need. I want to be weak enough to smile and say hello to the person on the street not knowing if they will return the gesture. I want to be weak enough to feel the weight that each of us carries as we pretend to have it all figured out.

This weakness is not likely to get me elected or make me a millionaire. It is possible that others will take advantage of this weakness and leave me bruised. This weakness will not keep death from visiting my life. But, at the end of it all, what am I without connections to others? If I sit victorious and alone in my castle behind impenetrable walls, separate from all who I perceive as different, disagreeable, or less than, what have I gained with all my strength?

Being weak takes practice. Every morning when I wake up I run the risk of getting stronger. I fall back into familiar habits of talking about "them" and blaming some political party or group for being who they are. We wouldn't turn away a friend who was suffering from our door, we would welcome them in and try and ease their pain. We can do this for ourselves too if we learn to empathise with our feelings and take care of them.

Learning to forgive our transgressions and faults brings us closer to having a compassionate relationship with ourselves and the world. By forgiving ourselves we can learn from our mistakes and be open to new ways of thinking about our lives. Mistakes help us grow emotionally, especially if we remind ourselves that it's ok not to be perfect.

We will always learn more from our so-called failures than our successes. Opening ourselves up to emotional warmth generates compassion and intimacy.

If we can be warm with ourselves that warmth will flow into others. Take a few moments to breathe in a sense of wellbeing. You can help kids develop compassion by reminding them that there are real people on the other side of the screen, modeling compassion for others, and choosing media that demonstrates compassion. Parents' Ultimate Guide to Support our work! Corona Column 3 Use these free activities to help kids explore our planet, learn about global challenges, think of solutions, and take action.

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