Everyday Compassion
(Nimue)
One of the more powerful things we can choose as part of our everyday Druidry, is compassion. Small acts of care and kindness can get a great deal done.
Compassion can take many forms. It can mean being patient with someone else and avoiding getting angry with other people who are struggling. Listening to others can be really supportive, as can simply taking someone else seriously even when their experiences are different from your own.
We can consider the many ways in which we might treat ourselves with more compassion. Meeting our own needs and holding ourselves to functional, sustainable standards is an important part of this. In so doing we can also model better ways of being that might well help and encourage anyone who encounters it. Refusing to celebrate toxic work cultures is a good place to start. Making time for rest and gentleness and encouraging others to do the same is a good one. Taking care of yourself often aligns with doing things that are more environmentally friendly.
When we treat ourselves gently, it’s easier to be kind to others. If you internalise pressures to perform, to work relentlessly, to look a certain way then this will likely make you miserable. Rather than being angry with the internalised capitalism, its all too easy to be angry with other people. The more we compete with each other and resent each other the unhappier we are likely to be. The person who can delight in the joy and success of others has a happier time of it and won’t struggle to treat others well.
When we treat each other gently we are less likely to experience conflict or the stress and misery that can cause. When we experience ourselves as kind, patient people who make good contributions to whatever we’re part of, we get to feel better about ourselves. Warmth invites warmth.
There are of course people who mistake kindness for weakness and who see gentleness as an excuse for exploitation. Compassionate responses sometimes need a wider view. Calling out a bully is an act of compassion to anyone everyone they hurt, even if it makes the person being called out uncomfortable. Tackling prejudice, misinformation, unkindness and selfishness can make room for better things. This needs balancing against what resources you have, and what you can afford to deal with. It’s important not to confuse being nice with being compassionate. Sometimes compression is complicated and challenging. Being nice in some situations can enable cruelty to continue.
Small acts of care can get a lot done. I want to thank everyone who has sent messages of support to Keith via this blog – I have been passing those along. This support is really helping him and he appreciates it, so thank you for that.
