When you see a man led to prison say in your heart, “Mayhap he is escaping from a narrower prison.” And when you see a man drunken say in your heart, “Mayhap he sought escape from something still more unbeautiful.” -Kahlil Gibran (Source: Wordsmith.org)
I believe there is much wisdom in these words, and in compassion. When I find myself short on compassion, a little wisdom often goes a long way to remedy the situation.
I rarely feel anger for more than a few seconds or minutes, and hate is an emotion I thankfully purged from myself long ago for completely selfish reasons.
But when I feel disappointment, it typically turns to understanding and then compassion (and sometimes even love on my better days) when I take the time to learn the whole story behind a person’s actions or situation.
I do all of these things for myself, as my life and my world are made better when I do them. If in the process, others recieve collateral compassion and kindness, I’m gladdened by it.
Love,
Russ
Yes it is so easy to judge someone but if you stop and think what brought that person to that point in their life you may not be so quick to judge
I sometimes wonder how often if I had lived their lives I would have made similar decisions
–or worse. Thank you for your comment, Joanne.
Russ
It certainly takes away the knots in our stomach…when we choose compassion and trying to understand over hate or frustration….Good thoughts…Diane
It sure does! Thank you for taking the time to comment, Diane.
Russ