The influence of compassion
The Ottauquechee River in West Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
2021 is a different year, with a different trajectory. What we know now is a world away from what we knew last year, and we’ve drawn closer to the end of the pandemic, though health experts still urge caution.
What hasn’t changed is the need for a crucial resource we can always offer each other: compassion. Last year expressions of compassion bloomed well ahead of the springtime flowers, showing love for our neighbors, volunteering, and turning a listening ear to those who needed one. There was a significant feeling of everyone sharing the struggle, confronting the mounting challenges together. People worked together outside of the political trappings of the day, confronting a problem with others in mind.
Clearly, the closer we drew to November, the more challenging it became to separate the political noise and influence of the day from the rest of our lives. All the while, however, compassion continued to bloom, ranging from a group of workers who banded together to fix a woman’s dilapidated home in the fall, to people welcoming neighbors to their homes amid the brutal winter storms in Texas recently. The winds of controversy may have changed the national media spotlight, but they didn’t change our collective heart as a people, which still expresses compassion for others.
Today, we still reside in a nation in great need of compassion, and this virtue will continue to be key to healing in many situations. Foremost in thought today are the aftermath of the shootings in Atlanta and Colorado, and the hate and violence experienced by Asian Americans in the U.S. In the Atlanta killings, six out of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Investigations continue into the motives behind both shootings. An investigation is also underway of a man who carried five guns and body armor into an Atlanta store Wednesday, according to CNN.
Hate has taken a variety of forms in recent months, whether violent, verbal or more subtle. We of course condemn it, in all its forms, and we support the victims’ families and communities within the boundless embrace of love. We hope that practical steps can be taken to counteract the pattern of hate. Legislation is one answer taking shape, but another is to cultivate compassion in our own thinking. It is the ultimate antidote to hate, as compassion is based in love and always focused on the needs of others. When we express compassion, it does not stay within the bounds of our own experience. Rather, it spreads its positive influence and blesses others, being a counteractive element to the currents of hate. Let’s allow compassion to take root in our lives and grow, so that it can be shared with others, enrich their lives and strengthen the fabric of our communities and society. Working together, we can build a broader response to hate and violence, and underpin potential solutions with the calm, healing strength compassion inspires.
— Gareth Henderson
