Fake Compassion or True Compassion
As part of my 2020 focus on Agape, I want to continue the exploration by diving more deeply into compassion. I began in January saying that the word that comes to us in the New Testament often translated as Love or Charity is the Greek word Agape. (See the original blog article). However, as often is the case, some of the words from more ancient languages have no English equivalent. The word agape could also be translated as compassion (and is, when it talks about Jesus having compassion when he saw his people lost in illusion).
Our culture typically has an incorrect view of compassion. Often compassion is confused with sympathy, empathy, needing to share the feeling of the person that is suffering. Often, compassion is considered “doing the kind thing” or maybe even doing nothing and allowing others to abuse us.
I want to differentiate the common meaning of compassion with the meaning that comes down from the ancient traditions of Enlightenment. First, True Compassion at its most profound is the ability to recognize the suffering, to desire the end of suffering, to be motivated by transcendental wisdom as well as unconditional love which requires a direct connection to the Source, and then, to be willing to do anything necessary to end the suffering of the world.
Someone has said that if we were to name the masculine and feminine aspects of God, they could respectively be called Loving Intelligence and Intelligent Love. That sets the tone for True Compassion. See the list:
Here are some thoughts on fake compassion vs True Compassion.
| Fake compassion |
True Compassion |
| I’m doing something |
Non-dual, Non-doing |
| Is emotion or feeling |
Result of meditative practice; immovable |
| Needs/desires recognition |
No Expectations, no reciprocity required |
| Help give them what they think they want |
Raises their consciousness (their true desire) |
| Comes from a feeling of concern, caring |
Unconditional Love plus wisdom from Source |
| Directed to the individual |
Goes to all sentient beings |
| Idealistic | Authentic from complete innocence |
| Limits of how we (little “s” self) can help |
Transcendental wisdom without limits |
| Contains our stresses and judgments |
Ahimsa, non-violence (no judgments) |
| Arises from our concern for a person |
Arises from all above as well as desire to end the suffering of the world |
When you see the above list, you will realize compassion is not something the little ‘s’ self can do, not something that can be done from the intellect. True Compassion requires a direct connection to the Source of All That Is. It would require a person to get out of the way, let go of any ideas they have, it would require higher states of consciousness as well as a complete surrender to the Will of God.
More articles coming on Agape and compassion.