Compassion, made visible | Daybreak Note #213 | Sept. 27, 2021
A small act of compassion catches a handful of our seemingly lost power in a net and brings it back to us. It reminds us of our agency. And it ripples.
Good morning, dear,
There are some days when the headlines are too much. When the terrible news from around the globe and across the city feel endless and insurmountable. What are we to do about the polluted oceans and their dead zones of trash, the rising storms, the great divisions across politics, the horrific hate crimes, terrible deaths by guns or cancer or famine or COVID? I could go on and on, for thousands of words, but I suspect you already know this feeling. Hopelessness, worry, maybe anger, maybe despair.
There is no one simple answer to any of it, but I find, when I get lost in the bad news, that turning it inside out helps — from the incomprehensible vastness of the world to one small thing we can touch today.
We are all examples to each other. To children, who are watching us all the time, who see things we aren’t even realizing we are sharing, and also to fellow grown-ups, who watch and absorb, even when they don’t realize they are doing so.
We see someone get mad, and we get mad. We feel the bluster of annoyance, and we get annoyed. But, too: We see someone act with kindness, a little, uncalled-for moment of care, and our hearts crack a bit. We feel more hopeful.
We can make visible, in small ways, the kind of world we want to live in.
No, this won’t fix any giant problems today — and yes, we as humans need to do that, too — but a small act today of compassion, shared, seen, absorbed into your life and someone else’s, is different and powerful because it is doable. Today. This moment. Five hours from now. An act of compassion catches a handful of our seemingly lost power in a net and brings it back to us. An act, conjured up and done today, reminds us all of our agency. And it can ripple.
In a talk about Reconnecting with Compassion, Krista Tippett, the journalist and host of the podcast On Being, says, “I'm not sure if I can show you what tolerance looks like, but I can show you what compassion looks like — because it is visible. When we see it, we recognize it and it changes the way we think about what is doable, what is possible. It is so important when we're communicating big ideas — but especially a big spiritual idea like compassion — to root it as we present it to others in space and time and flesh and blood — the color and complexity of life.”
When we see compassion, we recognize it and it changes the way we think about what is doable, what is possible.
We know these moments. They are little moments when we see someone care, see someone acknowledge someone else and their needs in a loving way — a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, a stranger — and make way for them. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t need a planned ordeal.
In fact, you don’t have to plan for it at all today. Just know it will happen. If you pay attention, at some point today, you’ll come to a crossroads with another person. Maybe they said they would do something, and they didn’t get to it yet. Maybe they are driving a little too fast, and you see them, but they don’t see you. Maybe you hear someone being talked over, their idea potentially lost, and you speak up. Maybe you overhear someone needing something, and you happen to know where it can be found. You happen to know how to help. You do know how to help. We all know how to thelp.
All we need to do is slow down, notice, and respond with compassion. Do our part to interpret the moment with kindness, knowing we all have our days. Do our part to dissolve the negative. Do our part to help.
Compassion changes the way we think about what is doable, what is possible.
Let’s widen together what is possible.
With love,
Brianne