37.0 Our Problem - Where is the Compassion?

37.1 What is "Our Problem - Where is the Compassion"?

Compassion. What is it like for a person to be compassionate? Often we communicate with others is for the purpose of sharing our thoughts and ideas. We do not listen anymore to what others have to say. We have lost our ability to be compassionate. Our worst condition in this lost is signalled when we do not even look at a needing stranger by the walking pavement in public. Have we truly lost it all? Is there not a fragment of compassion lies within us? How can we regain the ability for us to be compassionate to people?

37.2 Regaining the Ability of Compassion

Look at ourselves. What is our current perception towards ourselves? What values do we express in our speech and actions?  These questions and many others toward the self are the first step to regain our social ability of compassion. Why? Give it a thought: by allowing us to be compassionate towards ourselves, would it not allow us to be compassionate towards others? Compassion towards the self is achieved by listening to our thoughts, concerns, problems, past, present, future, etc., which then followed by understanding and accepting them.

Once we have made peace and allow us to be compassionate towards ourselves, then comes the next step: connecting with our social circles. The best form of social connection is done directly where a person can be in physical contact with another, and the lesser ones are done virtually or remotely. Having said that, our ability to compassionately connect with others are diminished even when we are physically connected. How then can we be compassionate to others? Listen attentively to what is expressed verbally and non-verbally. Understand them and embrace their emotions being expressed.

"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself" - said Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (Forty Hadith-Nawawi)

It is at this point that we have regained our social ability to be compassionate. It begins with the self, and consequently to our social circles. Listen, understand and accept.

I hope this topic benefits you as much as it has benefited myself, wa la hawla wa la kuwatta ila billah. Insha'Allah, the next topic will be posted in the near future.