Understanding why and how you can follow compassion and love to another individual can help you in several ways. The first thing that needs to be understood is that when we are living in the United States, all too often, the lines of communication between people are closed. Many people feel that those lines of communication are a gift from God. It is hard not to feel a sense of disconnect when we are constantly bombarded with messages from the government, society and those around us that tell us that we need to fear people who have different opinions than our own.
With so much advice surrounding us on what we should or shouldn't do when it comes to compassion for the other person, it becomes easy to close down. When we decide to close down compassion for others, we create a place for suffering within ourselves. If we don't feel compassion for those who suffer, then we don't feel compassion for ourselves. It doesn't matter if we are suffering from minor ailments or are undergoing some extreme hardship. We all need to find a way to connect with others to feel compassion for one another. With this, we develop a strong desire to help others.
In order for us to truly follow compassion for the other individual, we must be able to identify that individual. When we don't understand someone, we tend to shut down communication. This means that we will avoid getting into a conversation with that individual. By doing this, we close off our connection to them and this is where compassion for others will die. If we truly want to share compassion for others, then we need to be willing to open up our communication channels.
Understanding why and how you can truly follow compassion for the other individual is necessary because it will help you find your way toward connecting with that person. It also explains why it is important for you to listen intently when your impacted individual is speaking. Listening is the best method of empathy in any interaction.
Listening is the best method of empathy when we are trying to understand together. The first step in understanding is sharing our thoughts with our impacted individual. When we are able to share our thoughts, feelings and fears with another individual, then we are able to understand together more easily. When we are not able to understand together, then we are only hurting our individual.
One Day I Learned by Luanne Oakes, PhD explains that when we are compassionate towards others, then we have more control over our lives. For example, when we write letters to the Lord, then we have a stronger control over our life. If we write letters to the Lord and he responds to us, then we will feel even more connected to him. When we do not hear from the Lord, we may get depressed and this will result in more negative actions like stealing, lying and hurting others.
After reading this book, I realized that I should write a letter to the Lord every day. After all, this is the first letter I ever wrote to the Lord. When I started to write letters to the Lord, I realized how much more I was able to relate to him because of the things that happened to me. It was at this point, I decided to start sharing my story with others through my workshops and articles.
Follow Compassion: The One Day One Purpose of Meditation by Luanne Oakes, PhD teaches you how to connect to the Lord by following his ways. Through meditation, one can understand the connection between the heart and mind of the Lord. Through compassion, we are able to understand how others live their lives. Through compassion, we understand more about ourselves. One day, I hope to walk with God on his knees and help others walk with Jesus too.