Let compassion rule...

There seems to be an acrimonious tone with parts of our community; a witch hunt if you will, to out those not following the Covid rules. And as much as I would like to stop the spread and I think we should follow said rules, what other people do is none of your business. You can defend your stance until the cows slowly meander home, but the foundation remains the same across the board: no one else’s choices is up for your approval. So if people want to have play dates or send their kids out with friends or what have you, that is their choice and you can be upset in your head (but really it’s a waste of your precious time & energy) but you do not have the right to a soapbox. You do not have a right to call anyone out on social media. You do not have a right to shame people into seeing your side and following your lead. You are being self righteous and that is enough of that.

My therapist likes to talk about this black and white style of thinking a lot. Apparently, I am the queen of it. This is the idea that what I think or feel is superior to someone else’s thoughts and feelings, based on a perspective that is built in a time and space that is solely my own. So unless it’s a rule governed by law, you have no right to impose your perspective and ideals on others. How you see and navigate this world is yours and yours alone. So let’s all please get off our high horses of righteousness and lead with the following: compassion.

Because there is no such thing as: your way or the highway. Right and wrong has varying degrees and shades of grey. This is something I work on daily.: learning that my perspective is not the only one. Unless someone is directly affecting your health or space, you really have to begin to exercise your compassion and empathy muscle more.

So how do we do that? We stop creating stories in our head. We stop saying judgmental things like “oh well they are stupid for doing that” or “thank god I’m not that way” or whatever it is. We need to autocorrect that mindset real quick. Because the judgments in your head only speak to who you are. Repeat that to yourself because its important. It’s not to bring shame or guilt to you- it’s to help you course correct the way our brains naturally function. Judgment is always on auto pilot and it needs to be reigned in with compassion and empathy. Empathy is the backbone of compassion. It is the space you create to fully comprehend and see another human. It is the moment where you get into the dark with another person and don’t try to fix them and turn the lights back on. You just nod and say “I hear you and I see you”.

Humanity is screaming out for more compassion right now. This period in history is not only heavy, but it is freakin’ scary and difficult. We counteract those emotions by leaning into love and compassion. We question the whys of a person rather than hurling insults at them. We take a moment to be grateful for what we have and thank those who are sacrificing themselves every day. With love and compassion, we can begin to embrace the better parts of ourselves and shut down the icky sides of us. We need to stop putting out negative information or statements and begin to fill our social media with more understanding and kind words. We have the power to change the heavy atmosphere we live in. We cannot control the circumstances but we can control how we respond to them. So what can you do today to add more compassion and love to your world?

Be love, share love

Jamiesonxo