Turning Pity Into Compassion

How often do you look at fellow humans and feel sorry for them?

In a world filled with suffering, it is easy to pity the ones less fortunate.

"Poor fellow, his wife is sick."

"I feel so bad for them, they lost their home/job/partner/investment."

And how easily do you feel empathy and suffer with someone?

"I always experience other people's pain, if someone next to me has a headache I will get one too."

"I have been so depressed, because my sister is going through a divorce."

"The weight of the whole world rests on my shoulders, I don't see how anybody can have a good time."

These are just a few examples of how we might react to events around us from a place of empathy and pity.

At first glance this appears to be a good-hearted and kind way of responding to other's pain and challenges.

If you look more closely there are a number of reasons why you might wish to reconsider:

1. Souls are here to learn (read post: "Becoming a student of life.") Some of the lessons are painful and a lot of people will feel insulted if you pity them, because you are transmitting the message that you don't think they are strong enough to endure or to overcome their challenges. The bottom line is that they chose their challenges.

Can you respect that? By turning pity into compassion you can choose not to suffer with them, or look at them as a victim of circumstances. Instead you might say:

"I can see that the lesson you are experiencing is painful, you have my compassion, I'll pray for you, I will help if I can and if I am meant to. And I believe that you will be OK."

2. By continuously suffering with the world you are missing out on your own journey.

This is a multi facetted reality where many realities are lived out simultaneously.

If you go back to the school example, they represent nothing more or less than different classrooms. None of the classes are wrong or bad, since everyone in the big picture will graduate. So if you deny yourself love, happiness and/or abundance because you feel guilty to enjoy yourself while others are having a harder time you overlook the fact that:

a) They won't suffer less because you are hurting too, au contraire, they might feel guilty that their situation brought you down. Consider holding the frequency (Read post: Learn to hold the frequency!)

b) You miss out on living your truthful karma, there is a high possibility that you'll end up feeling like you missed out on your own life and possibly grow resentful of people in your environment that had a difficult time.

Compassion is a way to be sensitive and to understand our fellow travelers pain without allowing it to color our own experience of life. Our heart can stay open and loving while setting energetic boundaries and knowing that certain situations are not our responsibility; not because we don't care, but because they are beyond our jurisdiction.

So do yourself and others a favor and turn your pity into compassion.

If you have an issue with pity and empathy there might also be a chance of you being a psychic sponge. I suggest you read the post dedicated to the topic, if you haven't already.