Post by Q on Jun 19, 2013 18:46:03 GMT -5
I wrote this back in March. I was on cloud nine. Life was great then it struck me what about the rest of the disabled and elderly who are not as lucky. Seeing the narcissism spewed daily on Facebook I hoped to inspire others to support those in need. Any and all questions, comments or concerns are welcome.
Merriam-webster's dictionary defines compassion as : sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
Compassion translates from Latin as to suffer together.
With all the distraction and necessities we have daily the last thing we want to think about is suffering with someone. After all each Individual has periods in life that we all have to suffer through. That's the Point!
When thinking about compassion the most well known and famous example is Jesus. No not that guy that sells tacos for 99 cents out of truck, Jesus Christ! In the non canonical text the Gospel of Thomas there are two sayings that if an individual probes can uncover the meaning of compassion.
logion 6. His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"
Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."
logion 14. Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.
When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them.
After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."
Wtf? I know right! How could Jesus say "if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits". It appears what is being said here is forget religious practices and social norms if it gets in the way of compassion (over simplifying a bit.) It is direct contact with each other where compassion thrives and grows. Now Praying and giving to charity are not condemning acts but not acting on those forces inside us that bring us to praying for someone or giving to charity may be condemning.
A 2000 year old school of thought is making its way back into human consciousness "living information." Wtf! Wait, bare with me for a minute. "living information" Popularized by science fiction author philip k dick in His novel Valis.
We hypostasize information into objects. Rearrangement of objects is change in the content of the information; the message has changed. This is a language which we have lost the ability to read. We ourselves are a part of this language; changes in us are changes in the content of the information. We ourselves are information-rich; information enters us, is processed and is then projected outwards once more, now in an altered form. We are not aware that we are doing this, that in fact this is all we are doing. - philip k dick
Any time we interact the information changes and grows. Now be careful not to feel self important or worse think you can help or change someone. This is about understanding and gaing information. Best way to do so is to reconnect. Maybe read a book once in awhile instead of clicking the facebook like button on funny picture all day LOL. How is all of this compatible with compassion? Because at the fundamental level we are all suffering. We are all in need of information.
compassion is very easy yet difficult to actually act on. First you have to empathize with others then act. It's much easier to purchase a bracelet in support of a charity rather than spending time with a patient suffering from the disease. Now supporting charities by making purchases and donating money is usually an extension of peoples compassion. Not long after the death of Jesus (oh no, he made the best Tacos) early Christian would have church on the sabbath (Saturday) and take up a collection. every member would give what they had. On sunday "church" members went out to the widowed, sick and destitute. They gave money to those who needed it and healed the sick.You see it's not about money here they were suffering together supporting each other. Through direct contact understanding and gaining information.
Compassion also gives meaning to situations and life in general.
meaning: "the cognizance of order, coherence and purpose in one's existence, the pursuit and attainment of worthwhile goals, and an accompanying sense of fulfillment." - Gary Reker and Phillip Wong
when we think of compassionate acts we think of a an adult giving a 12 year dying girl a kidney. Compassion can also be simple acts such as giving a struggling single mom $50 for gas so she can get to work (what? 50 bucks! Jesus use to sell Prada handbags, Nikes & Invictus watches out of the back of his taco truck for $50.) visiting with someone that needs support. Even giving a hug to someone having a tough day. If you live 1000 miles away you can still have direct contact. With the aid of technology like video chat such as skype or Iphones face time you can still be a support.
Technology isn't all rainbow and butterflies. There has been extensive research by psychologist that says facebook alone is causing mental health issues and extreme loneliness (I'm like that guy who moans & groans about American while still reaping it's benefits). With Google Glass on the horizon the meek may become the forgotten. So what if we unplug from the matrix a couple extra hours a week and have some direct contact with those individuals who need it most.
Humans are natural shamans dancing around a campfire telling stories. look at cave paintings. Those paintings are stories from their lives. If we continue down this path we will be living in Plato's cave starring at projections on the cave wall.
Merriam-webster's dictionary defines compassion as : sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
Compassion translates from Latin as to suffer together.
With all the distraction and necessities we have daily the last thing we want to think about is suffering with someone. After all each Individual has periods in life that we all have to suffer through. That's the Point!
When thinking about compassion the most well known and famous example is Jesus. No not that guy that sells tacos for 99 cents out of truck, Jesus Christ! In the non canonical text the Gospel of Thomas there are two sayings that if an individual probes can uncover the meaning of compassion.
logion 6. His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"
Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."
logion 14. Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.
When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them.
After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."
Wtf? I know right! How could Jesus say "if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits". It appears what is being said here is forget religious practices and social norms if it gets in the way of compassion (over simplifying a bit.) It is direct contact with each other where compassion thrives and grows. Now Praying and giving to charity are not condemning acts but not acting on those forces inside us that bring us to praying for someone or giving to charity may be condemning.
A 2000 year old school of thought is making its way back into human consciousness "living information." Wtf! Wait, bare with me for a minute. "living information" Popularized by science fiction author philip k dick in His novel Valis.
We hypostasize information into objects. Rearrangement of objects is change in the content of the information; the message has changed. This is a language which we have lost the ability to read. We ourselves are a part of this language; changes in us are changes in the content of the information. We ourselves are information-rich; information enters us, is processed and is then projected outwards once more, now in an altered form. We are not aware that we are doing this, that in fact this is all we are doing. - philip k dick
Any time we interact the information changes and grows. Now be careful not to feel self important or worse think you can help or change someone. This is about understanding and gaing information. Best way to do so is to reconnect. Maybe read a book once in awhile instead of clicking the facebook like button on funny picture all day LOL. How is all of this compatible with compassion? Because at the fundamental level we are all suffering. We are all in need of information.
compassion is very easy yet difficult to actually act on. First you have to empathize with others then act. It's much easier to purchase a bracelet in support of a charity rather than spending time with a patient suffering from the disease. Now supporting charities by making purchases and donating money is usually an extension of peoples compassion. Not long after the death of Jesus (oh no, he made the best Tacos) early Christian would have church on the sabbath (Saturday) and take up a collection. every member would give what they had. On sunday "church" members went out to the widowed, sick and destitute. They gave money to those who needed it and healed the sick.You see it's not about money here they were suffering together supporting each other. Through direct contact understanding and gaining information.
Compassion also gives meaning to situations and life in general.
meaning: "the cognizance of order, coherence and purpose in one's existence, the pursuit and attainment of worthwhile goals, and an accompanying sense of fulfillment." - Gary Reker and Phillip Wong
when we think of compassionate acts we think of a an adult giving a 12 year dying girl a kidney. Compassion can also be simple acts such as giving a struggling single mom $50 for gas so she can get to work (what? 50 bucks! Jesus use to sell Prada handbags, Nikes & Invictus watches out of the back of his taco truck for $50.) visiting with someone that needs support. Even giving a hug to someone having a tough day. If you live 1000 miles away you can still have direct contact. With the aid of technology like video chat such as skype or Iphones face time you can still be a support.
Technology isn't all rainbow and butterflies. There has been extensive research by psychologist that says facebook alone is causing mental health issues and extreme loneliness (I'm like that guy who moans & groans about American while still reaping it's benefits). With Google Glass on the horizon the meek may become the forgotten. So what if we unplug from the matrix a couple extra hours a week and have some direct contact with those individuals who need it most.
Humans are natural shamans dancing around a campfire telling stories. look at cave paintings. Those paintings are stories from their lives. If we continue down this path we will be living in Plato's cave starring at projections on the cave wall.
