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THE MEANING OF COMPASSION

By Sherry Anshara

Compassion is interesting stuff. So interesting, in fact, it can get confusing. Confusion may result from the idea that compassion is enabling. It is not. Enabling is giving another person permission to act upon or act out inappropriately, whether it is in the form of addiction, abuse or any other inappropriate behavior. When enabling occurs, power is being given away consciously or unconsciously.

Enabling is allowing your Self to just accept that this is the way your life is and going to continue to be. Existing in an ineffective, abusive situation can excuse the abuse or the addiction by being confused as to what compassion really means. Compassion does not make it acceptable. Compassion assists you to understand the other person or persons as dysfunctional, and you get to choose how you participate or not. Being a victim is not ever acceptable.

You can have compassion while not being a victim and while not being an enabler. An enabler is actually a victimizer role which allows your Self to be victimized by the victimizer, the addict or abuser. As the enabler, you give the victimizer permission to victimize you and you in turn, through dysfunctional support, become the victimizer to the victimizer, establishing an intense circle of confusing behavior. The push-me-pull-ums go ’round and ’round in the relationship. Everyone walks on egg shells afraid of letting go or changing. Yet, at times, everyone is still expecting different results. This is very challenging to be compassionate. It can be done.

Back to the word compassion! All words that end in -ion mean at the cellular level or ion level of your consciousness. Some examples: aggravation, aggravated at your cellular level; depression, depressed at your cellular level. Compassion is your compass at your ion or cellular level of consciousness. You have a great guide within your Self…your compassion. You do have a choice of being clear and compassionate or staying confused.

When you are compassionate and in compassion, you are guiding your Self away from fear, anger, depression, sadness…all the negative stuff that is stuffed in your cells or ion level deep within you.

Using compassion as a compass, you live your life through your heart. Guiding your Self from your heart with empathy is the way of a wonderful deep connection to your Self and others. Empathy is not emotional. It does not hold emotional hooks to the past nor emotional pain attached to the past. Empathy allows you to see from a vantage point without judgment and allows you to stay in your Power.

Compassion is the compass from your ion or cellular level which connects you to your innate intuition and Self-trust. Trust your intuition or “gut” feeling, trust your heart and you trust your Self without question. Embrace your compassion, empathy and intuition to support your Self to live a fulfilled life.

Now through your inner guidance, follow your inner compass from your ion level and be prepared for great relationships and great things to happen in your life. Compassion is the way of your heart. You have the way!