Be Actively Com-passionate
- Time8:42 am
- Richard O'ShieldsRichard O'Shields
- Writer's Words
I had the most interesting conversation tonight with some truly remarkable women…
A group of women who for the moment don’t know each other very well, in fact some may never meet in person yet they share a common bond. They all have a desire to love and support the women they meet along the road of life and they do it in a truly passionate way.
What was interesting about tonight’s conversation was the question that was posed at the beginning that brought forth a whirlwind of insight and wisdom. “What does compassion mean to you?”
I took a moment to reflect on it and I realized that to me to be ‘compassionate’ means to ‘come share my passion’… so what does that mean… to be passionate about something is to care deeply about it in such a way as to be almost obsessive, to the exclusion of all else. Often times the word is used in relation to challenging social situations like poverty and oppression and in this context the above definition still rings true. If you are homeless, in poverty or even ill, an individual’s act of compassion means that they become involved in your NEED for food, shelter or your journey to get well… They care about what it is you, in that moment, care most about… they come and share your current passion…
I understand that this is a unique and perhaps even for some challenging way of looking at this word yet it opens up so many new possibilities for its use. Young people who are having challenges accessing education, women who are having challenges accessing freedoms, minorities that are having challenges being recognized as equals… All of these people are truly PASSIONATE about their needs… and when we offer to assist them – well you see what I mean.
Yet why not take it even further, in a world where we can reach out and share our visions, our dreams and our passions with others why not bring forward a new understanding that sometimes it is just as important to be compassionate towards those who are fighting to succeed at making those dreams a reality. Be it in the quest of a budding young artist to be recognised, or in the young musician’s quest to be heard… Is it not compassionate of us to share their art, to share their music and encourage others to do the same?
I’m not quite sure after tonight if I will ever look at the word compassionate quite the same way again, what I am sure of is that I will broaden my compassion so that it not only reaches those who are struggling to survive but so that it helps to uplift those who are striving to thrive.
Niki Norlock
Writer/Producer
Our friend Arcie Mallari is a very com-passionate fellow. Through Silid-Aralan he regularly shares his passion for learning with Filipino youth. Read more about Silid Aralan and support their passion: www.silidaralan.org
