Episode #133 Compassion Changes Everything

Three Problems

• When it comes to navigating polarizing issues, we often settle for snippets over stories and callousness over compassion.
• When conviction is communicated without compassion, it always resembles condemnation.
• A lack of compassion in the face of complexity often indicates a lack of closeness to hurting people.

Three Principles

• Compassion prioritizes curiosity over criticism and proximity over distance.
• Compassion is the sum of empathy and action, so it always requires not just a feeling but also a choice.
• The compassion (or lack of compassion) that we show ourselves inevitably spills out into the world around us.

The Progression of Compassion

• Pity says, “I acknowledge your suffering.”
• Sympathy says, “I care about your suffering.”
• Empathy says, “I feel your suffering.”
• Compassion says, “I want to relieve your suffering.”

Three Practices

• Whenever entering into potentially polarizing conversations, consider the question, “How can I approach this with compassion?”
• Reflect on those areas where your tendency is to criticize and condemn by asking yourself, “Why do I resist compassion in these situations?”
• Deepen your relationships with others and increase your understanding of the personal impact of political issues by making a commitment to leading with listening.