Signs

I don’t believe in "signs" in the conventional sense. I simply don't believe that I am the centre of the universe, so the random workings of the world are not trying to convey deeper messages to me.

That said, I do believe that if my mind notices a pattern (whether it exists or not), there might be something to that pattern that my subconscious wants me to pay attention to.

I've been seeing two things over and over again in the last couple of weeks. The first has been people commenting on their need to take their time doing things, articles on the "slow food" and similar movements and people talking about preventing burn-out. Basically, messages about going slower.

The second thing that keeps popping up around me is the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I think I heard something about it last year, but this year it is all around me: several people on my F/L are participating or are doing alternative versions, the founder's book (No Plot? No Problem!) is in my new catalogue, and I just keep stumbling across mentions of it all around me. Now, NaNoWriMo is about writing 50,000 words in 30 days, which, on the surface, is hardly a complementary message to "go slow and take your time".

Combine these messages with the fact that I've only slept about 4 hours a night for the past couple of nights, and you get lots of pseudo-deep philosophizing about how these things combine and what they all mean. But while awake and relatively caffeinated, I think my attention to these things has to do with how much I worry about time (how long something will take to do, for example), combined with my perfectionistic desires (don't write anything unless it will be perfect, for example). I am having a hard time fighting for speed, efficiency and perfection simultaneously.

I think I need to sleep more.

A Holy Man Walked In

Met a saint. Didn't like him.



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Compassion versus pity

Definition of compassion: Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. Synonym: pity.

I disagree that pity is a synonym for compassion. I think they are very different in both cause and result.

Pity is directed and specific; it is an emotion directed at a person or a group of people; it is, ultimately, a limited state.

Compassion can be general; it is a quality, a personality trait and a choice of how to live.

Pity is often condescending and patronising, though not always in a bad way. Pity can be comforting, in small doses.

Compassion can be directed towards an equal. Compassion is about knowing that all beings are of intrinsic value. It is about opening yourself to the other story and feeling what is under the story. It is about always striving to embrace the diversity and the sameness.

Pity is an emotion directed towards people.

Compassion is for all life, however you choose to define it. Anything that has spirit can be emphasised with.

Pity is pessimistic. Compassion is optimistic.

Pity is a narrow stream of tears in the presence of tragedy. Compassion is open and continuous.

Compassion is mercy and grace and tenderness.

Practice relentless compassion and radical grace.