Compassion is often misunderstood. While some may not consider it particularly compelling or exciting, I've found that compassion simply works. At my core, I am a pragmatist, and this perspective shapes how I understand the role of compassion in our lives.
People hold many preconceptions about compassion: that it represents weakness, that certain things don't deserve to be loved, that showing compassion means condoning unacceptable behavior, or that it encourages the perpetuation of harmful patterns. To all of these assumptions, I respectfully disagree.
From a practical standpoint, the most direct route to any destination begins with knowing precisely where you stand. This principle lies at the heart of compassion: being genuinely honest about your current reality, accepting exactly where you are so that you can chart an authentic path forward. This isn't about diluting yourself or creating illusions about your starting point or destination.
When we resist accepting where we truly are, we inevitably distort our path forward. The connections become broken, the wires twisted, because we lack a complete understanding of our current position. This misalignment makes progress difficult, if not impossible.
By acceptance, I don't mean resignation or approval. Rather, I'm referring to complete honesty about everything present in this moment. It means acknowledging, "Yes, this is here right now." This doesn't imply that I want it to remain tomorrow or that I even like it. It simply means I'm fully aware of and willing to acknowledge the reality before me.
From this point of honest assessment and accurate recognition of current circumstances, we can more effectively choose solutions, techniques, and paths that actually connect our present reality to our desired destination. Without this clarity, we risk building routes from places we only imagine ourselves to be—or wish we were—rather than from where we actually stand.
This is the essence of my pragmatism: a deep acceptance of exactly where we are right now—individually, in our relationships, and on a global scale. This foundation of compassionate honesty creates the conditions for meaningful change and progress.
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