THE GOOD LIFE

INTENSE WITH COMPASSION

by Megs S. Lunn

Compassion is the desire that moves individual to love the unlovable, help the helpless and conform to kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. They say, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion and if you want to be happy, practice compassion.”  Dalai Lama once said, “However, one must be compassionate to oneself before external compassion.”

A compassionate person tends to be intense sometimes. Being compassionate doesn’t mean you are not entitled to be angry or to experience and express emotional energy. Our life has so much to offer, and when a person is too intense to do something different, that person becomes so emotional, at times so excited when people do not do the way that person wishes them to do it. “Being compassionate doesn’t mean one doesn’t get emotional and angry, since being intense doesn’t mean being angry.”

When one is angry,  count from 1 to 10  always, the best move. Then when you do, notice the things and emotions that are ‘unmet’ - they say 10 seconds are not enough, we may need more than 10 seconds, like an hour, a day or two. But it helps to say less things that later we regret. 

A person has to examine himself with the belief and needs, his thoughts and feelings  before he could be reactive. Once he learns the cause, the need, the feelings and get connected to it, then he will be pro-active, less judgmental and less blaming.

Being compassion with too much intensity is actually both a challenge and opportunity. It is a challenge to be compassionate while a person is angry or in a blaming mood. It becomes an opportunity when that blaming mood will create connection in his unmet feelings and need. On the other hand, it is also a challenge when one is intensely compassionate. While others are not, a person doesn’t actually have a hold on other’s feelings. It will be an opportunity to keep going and just doing well. Later it may help develop one into a person whose compassionate heart is really the true meaning of intense compassion to make a difference. Never mind others who are not doing the same because ‘patience is a virtue.’ God was patient with. We have all the opportunity to be patient, too, and this is where intense compassion is tested in us. Until when and to what extent are we able to be compassionate with others while others are not? Besides, humanity can’t survive without love and compassion. 

As God ordered, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” – 1 Peter 4:10 /MP