Compassion and the Righteous Path

Let’s talk compassion. It feels great to be righteous, but truth is that also means we can end up being hard on ourselves, hard on those around us.

It is possible to be both passionate about the world and its future and gentle at the same time.

I love this reminder-sheet shared by Revolutionary Self-Care.

They offer some true nuggets of gold:

1. Mistakes are part of learning: No one–I repeat NO ONE–learns anything without messing up at least once or twice. It’s called being human, and we’re all in the same boat.
2. Learn from those who criticize you: Remember what I said about that righteousness? It’ll cut you. We all have things to learn (see #1) and sometimes the best lessons come from those who are strong enough to tell you that you messed up. Want to do one better? They next time you give someone else some criticism, the next time you call them out for not being on the righteous path, please do it in a way that helps them to grow.
3. There is no one “right way” to do anything: And while we’re talking about that righteous path–ahem–there ain’t just one. There’s lots of ways to do things in this world. What is true for you may not be for someone else. That doesn’t necessarily make them less of a good person. What more, it turns out that being compassionate with others helps us to be gentler with ourselves too. It’s a muscle, y’all; it only grows stronger with repetition.
4. Don’t forget to find colleagues to share the struggle: We can’t do this alone. Find people to share your experiences, whether it’s in person or on line.
5. and express your anger in a creative way! Because isn’t that what we’re talking about here at Bread & Roses? Creativity heals the soul.