Foster Understanding and Kindness
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. ~ Brad Meltzer
I want you to do a simple exercise: close your eyes and think about an issue affecting you that few people know about. Consider the situation carefully and feel the emotions associated with it. Perhaps you feel sadness, anger or anxiety? Let’s take it a step further: think of someone close to you experiencing something similar. It might be a parent, a sibling, a relative or close friend. Try to get a sense of their pain and suffering. As you do this, move into your heart and feel compassion for them. Now, open your eyes and sit with the feelings you experienced. How do you feel? Did you experience a sense of oneness with the other person? A shared humility for life? The aim of this exercise is to understand that your suffering is the same as many other people endure.
We all face battles few people know little or nothing about. We all carrying a heavy burden in some form or another. Some carry it in the form of psychological pain while others carry emotional and physical pain. Some wounds are visible, while other are less noticeable. However, this does not subtract from the burden they endure daily. Therefore, we ought to be more compassionate with…
