Compassion at its core means to “love together with”. Its principle, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The common meaning is “the response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help.” Some synonyms for compassion are pity, sympathy, empathy, care, concern, solicitude, sensitivity, love, tenderness, kindness, charity, humanity. Compassion has also been described as a process of connecting by identifying with another person. The Dalai Lama has been quoted as saying: “Compassion is a necessity, not a luxury. It is a question of human survival.” I’ve witnessed quite a bit in my many years on this earth; so many tragedies and injustices, too many to speak of. It makes me question why a lot. The older I get, the more tragic the tragedies become it seems. I thank God for my faith that keeps me sane and hopeful. What seems to trouble me most is how after all these years of human existence, we still divide ourselves with some kind of “ism”, totally void of any kind of compassion. Our inability to see past what separates us, to what makes us all alike in order to empathize and sympathize with one another, seems so much greater right now.
We are all human beings created in the image of God. What I say all the time is “we all pee and bleed the same”. And we do. Our tears are the same. Our skin is the same. It’s all going to wrinkle and dry up at some point no matter the color. We are all born of a womb, with no money, and we all are going to die, leaving whatever we have acquired, whether a lot or a little, behind. These are the important things to consider when interacting with and considering others of all walks of life. Gay or straight, black or white, Democrat or Republican, Christian or Muslim, male or female, rich or poor, whatever the difference, ultimately we are all the same. Those people who died in the Orlando night club shooting… they’re all somebody’s son or daughter, mother or father, brother or sister or friend, cousin, niece or nephew, and we should feel for them right now. Human lives were lost. That’s all that matters. With all the senseless murders of unarmed Black Americans, taking the race factor out of it… Consider how any mother would feel learning her son has been shot dead in the street and left there uncovered for hours, or been murdered while playing in a park? While better gun control laws may help, our country’s plight is not one that is solved with legislature, but with the changing of hearts. The form of weapon isn’t the whole problem. Our heart condition is the bigger problem, but it can become the solution. What do we do to get there? How do we start? How many clever “Prayers for _____”, or “Say Her Name”, or “Black Lives Matter” or anniversary tributes to the senselessly murdered will we post and hashtag on social media in our lifetime? In just this year? How many moments of silence and then on with business as usual? Hate has proven that it is no respecter of persons. I’m sure the people of Sandy Hook, Charleston, San Bernardino, Paris and Orlando couldn’t imagine being the victim of these atrocities either. Who’s next?
