01 Nov Why be compassionate? Part 1
Part One
Why be compassionate?
For much of human history we have had to face dangerous animals
and hostile enemy tribes. Any time we met anyone not from our
tribe it usually didn’t end well. As a result our brains are wired up
to be extra cautious and to constantly jump to negative conclusions
just in case they happen to be true. This is often called our ‘negativity bias’
Survival comes first and our happiness a distant second.
This makes us excessively cautious and defensive. Life for most of
us is not filled with danger, but our minds at the slightest
provocation, real or often imaginary, pull us back into our
protective shells. This isolates us and cuts us off from the
world and feeds our paranoia, depression and loneliness.
It leaves us feeling separate and unconnected.
That’s probably why we fear that being compassionate or practising
Loving-Kindness will make us a doormat and everyone will
take advantage of us. However when we practice Loving-kindness,
we do it for all living beings and that includes ourselves!
Allowing people to walk all over you isn’t being compassionate
to yourself or to them or indeed the wider world as you are encouraging
their behaviour.
In part two we will explore this subject more by looking at
Kindness from strength vs weakness.
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