Keeping your heart open does not mean liking or condoning whatever someone does. It does not mean refraining from defending someone who is being attacked. It means keeping your heart open with compassion for the person attacked, for the attacker, and for yourself. Especially for yourself. I cannot criticize myself for thoughts of fear, anger, or judgment, and at the same time connect with others through the pathway of an open heart. Compassion is for everyone. Love is for everyone.
We are all human in our likes and dislikes, in our preferences and judgments, in our fears and attachments. Living with an awakened heart does not offer an escape from the human experience. But it does transform the way we experience being human.
Compassion is revolution. ~bumper sticker
[photo is from the movie Avatar]
Well put
We are all human in our likes and dislikes, in our preferences and judgments, in our fears and attachments. Living with an awakened heart does not offer an escape from the human experience. But it does transform the way we experience being human.
Thanks, Esther.
Avatar was a very powerful allegory of corporate greed and abuse of an alien indigenous population by humans. (spoiler alert) The human at the center of the conflict ultimately joined with the aliens to preserve his humanity. I found it to be very thought provoking.
Yes, that is an interesting way to describe it. What do we need to separate ourselves from in order to preserve our humanity? Hmm, judgment would be at or near the top of my list. Thanks for commenting, Collin.
Delightful reminder. There is not, or perhaps should not, be a switch for empathy, love, and compassion, where it can be used on some people and not for others. Moving to higher awareness, or, keeping your heart open as you say, turns that perspective to “on”, without, if I am wanting to maintain my open heart, the option to turn it off. Perhaps a metaphor for this idea is that of an elevator, going up or down perspective floors. The ease and speed in which the elevator arrives to carry us up or down perspectives might be another topic of discussion, and how to slow down that elevator so that our perspectives cant change floors quite so easily, and thus stay on the floor of love, compassion, and empathy?
Interesting metaphors with switches and elevators, David! I sometimes think about it as opening my hands outward versus making a fist. Thanks for commenting.