We think
we get addicted
to drugs,
alcohol,
work,
etc
When what we really get addicted to
is the emotions we feel
when we do
drugs
alcohol
etc
Month: December 2024
Beyond Compassion
Sometimes,
it’s not easy to go beyond
compassion.
To accept the challenge
of putting aside our own emotions
of concern.
To lessen our focus
on our good intentions
of wanting to alleviate someone’s suffering
or enhancing their well-being.
Maybe even to suspend
our indignance
and resentment.
So as to make room
for a sense of wonder.
To enhance our focus
on revising our expressions
for greater impact.
Connecting
and staying present with their emotions,
even if we may not like
or want to feel
those emotions.
Asking for Help
Sometimes
all it takes
is to admit
I need you
Help me
I cannot do this
alone.
Burden
The burden of responsibility
is only heavy
while we delay
our response.
Fear and Judgment
The need to judge
right
vs wrong
is often nothing more
than a way to alleviate our fear
of being wrong
or perhaps being blamed
for being
wrong.
Compassionate Blindness
When others resist
or reject our actions
inspired by our compassion,
we may judge them
for being insecure,
blinded by our own good intentions
without seeing how we contribute
to fueling their insecurity
When Pain Matter
When we realize
that our pain
matters
to other people
not in the sense
that they care about us
or they have compassion for us
but in the sense
that we’re not the only one
whose experiencing this pain
and by me experiencing pain
others’ pain can be alleviated
we start to rise from the pain
with a sense of purpose.
Lowering Tension
Our psychological
and relational tension lowers
when we come to empathize
with ourselves
or others
in new ways
through a moment
of realization.
They’re doing it wrong
When it seems like
“others”
are doing something
“wrong,”
we may eventually realize
empathy
to discover
that they may only be doing “wrong”
what you
want them to do
while simultaneously doing “right”
what they themselves
want to do.
Belief & Imagination
Suspending disbelief
open us up
to imagine
without believing.
And if we have trouble imagining
we can seek support
just as artists do
from the very material with which
we’re trying to imagine
by asking them questions
and working with them
to see what we can learn from them.