Compassion to all living creatures
I have a tendency to go into the silence, to not raise my voice, to not share my opinion. “Just stay quiet, why would you risk upsetting anyone?” That’s what I used to hear and go by. Now, I want to go against it.
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There is inequality in this world. It’s absolutely undeniable. Racism is real, xenophobia is real, sexism is real, animal cruelty is real. I want to do something to bring more compassion to all living creatures no matter the colour of their skin, where they are from or if they walk on two or four feet.
I don’t believe that any of those are causes of behaviour. Belonging to one tribe or race doesn’t make you behave in a specific way. There are as many differences within one race (or within one breed) as between those races (or breeds). Belonging to one is not a cause of the behaviour. There might be a correlation but not causation.
Someone might get upset that I talk about all of those issues together. To compare them instead of focusing on one. Personally, that’s how I learn. I look for similarities between noticeably different issues. I don’t deny the differences, I don’t deny that one might be more significant from the other. When I can compare and relate to something I know more about, it helps me learn and understand the issue better. I chose to focus on similarities, despite the differences. I believe it’s actually a lot harder to do. I have no problem in seeing the differences. Question is, can you see the similarities despite them?
How do I believe we can influence a change in people with whom we disagree? People won’t listen to you if they don’t trust you. If you can’t see similarities between you and that person, you probably won’t be able to relate to him or her. What is the one thing you agree upon? Do you have a mutual purpose? How can we approach each other with compassion despite sometimes fundamental differences between us? It ain’t easy to do and it will require practice. I believe it’s the first great step towards change and cultivating compassion to all living creatures.
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We are divided not based on facts but based on our prejudice, misconception, different beliefs and perceptions on things. When we see one person belonging to a certain social group behaving in a way we disagree with, we oftentimes generalise it to all the members of the group. Why do you believe that people outside the borders of your country are so different from you? Does the imaginary border (present on maps not in the physical world) automatically changes the people that are behind it? Does the colour of someone’s skin automatically makes them different from you?
We assume the worst from the people we see doing things we disagree with. When you see someone who is using force with his dog, you might automatically assume he always acts this way. It can be the case but it’s not always. Sometimes we do things when we’ve been pushed out of our limits. I personally screamed at a dog and pulled the leash strongly when I lost my temper. Seeing only this can give an impression of a person who uses screaming and leash pulling regularly. When we put each other’s into boxes, we can fail to see beyond them.
Very often our first reaction when we see someone behaving in a way we disagree with is to come to that person and tell them what we think about them and how wrong they are in our opinion. Question is, will your words change this person behaviour? How often did you change the way you behave after someone told you in a raised voice that what you are doing is wrong?
Alternatively, we can go into silence and assume that people won’t change and there is nothing we can do. I do that often. I want to learn to speak more and to promote compassion to all living creatures. It won’t be an easy thing to do for me. I need to overcome a lot in me and I need more practice. However, the way I want to approach people is from compassion, no matter how different we are. I won’t be able to change everybody, I won’t be able to influence change in anyone quickly but the change can happen.
The change starts from within
We are blinded by our limiting beliefs and our world views. We can’t see the world in a different way than what we currently know. Moreover, we will fight for our current beliefs. It’s easier to stay in our current understanding and only look at things from our current lenses.
What if you could look at it from a different perspective? One by one change the way you see the world around you by actively looking for the opposite of what you think you know? We are so scared to admit that what we believe isn’t true. We see it as a personal attack on our foundations, on the thing that makes us who we are. What if we are wrong about that too? What if it can become a fun thing to do?
Look for the similarities. Challenge yourself to do the difficult thing. Stop acting the same way as you always did – it’s easy. Challenge yourself not because you believe you will find something. Challenge yourself just to see where it will take you. Don’t just believe or disbelieve me. If you think it’s easy to find similarities between you and the person you disagree with, name 10 of them. Test your belief, don’t just believe in it. If your beliefs are true, you have absolutely nothing to worry about, you have arguments to gain to later on have more of them to use to fight for your opinion. If there is nothing to lose, what stops you?
~ What I’m sharing here is just my opinion and everyone can have their own. I would like to encourage you to share your opinion too. I would love to hear it. ~
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash
