I Met Compassion Today

Being a parent is a blessing which paints spectrum of colors on your life canvas. And today, a beautiful color from that was shown to me by my daughter and her 2 best friends, we call it Compassion!

Last Sunday, we all went to a mall in Chandigarh to enjoy trampoline. All kids were excited and were just running around in the mall. Smooth tiles were adding to their fun as they try to skid on them. In one such moment, my daughter slipped and fell down. The embarrassment of lying flat on floor engulfed her face and she was all in tears. What I witnessed next was my daughter’s friend standing right beside her slipping down intentionally and saying happily “Oh! I also slipped!”, changing my daughter’s tears into smile. In the very same moment, their 3rd friend also fell down intentionally on floor saying, “Oh it’s soooo slippery here”, and all 3 kids burst out into laughter. Finally, they held each other’s hands and stood up together.

Now, if you change the scene and place 3 adults instead of 3 kids what will be the climax? Certainly, much different then what we have just gone through. Why? To get the answer lets understand the meaning of this lost virtue. Compassion a Latin word, means “co-suffering” is a precursor to empathy. It involves feeling for another. It is that emotional aspect which motivates us to go out and help others mentally, physically and emotionally. Now why do we lose it as years pass by. Maybe because as we grow in life, our primary self becomes much more important than others. The rising self-centered culture is binding us – people are caring less about the feelings and predicaments of others. All that matters to an individual is – “me and my”. That means selfishness and focus on personal success are threatening our most valuable skill and virtue. And in future, it will have adverse effect on humanity, as empathy and compassion glue us with each other. It makes us human.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said – “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone… just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you have had.”

So, let’s start practicing one act of compassion today. It doesn’t have to be a huge financial favor or time commitment. It can be practiced through small gestures like taking out time to chat with someone who is lonely, calling a friend who is going through dark days, helping a person crossing road, rather than throwing the left-over food of your plate in dustbin giving it to a hungry child sitting outside your decorated restaurant, leaving your turn for old man, child or pregnant women, buying a bottle of medicine for that child on road suffering from cold, judging a person less and loving more, being more kind to animals and trees around, be a part of somebody’s misfortune and sorrow, help somebody finding a job etc. This is one gesture which turns biggest of poison into elixir. The universe calls for number of ways to practice compassion, you pick yours! Spread smile and makes somebody meet Compassion today.