A Compassionate Life
Friday 1 July 2011
To conclude the term, I would like to make final mention of Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. In this extract she begins to define compassion.
But can compassion heal the seemingly intractable problems of our time? Is this virtue even feasible in the technological age? And what does ‘compassion’ actually mean? Our English word is often confused with ‘pity’ and associated with an uncritical, sentimental benevolence: the Oxford English Dictionary, for example, defines ‘compassionate’ as ‘piteous’ or ‘pitiable’. This perception of compassion is not only widespread but ingrained.
Compassion is aptly summed up in the Golden Rule, which asks us to look into our own hearts, discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else. Compassion can be defined, therefore, as an attitude of principled, consistent altruism.
The first person to formulate the Golden Rule, as far as we know, was the Chinese sage Confucius (551-479 BCE) who when asked which of his teachings his disciples could practise ‘all day and every day’ replied: ‘Perhaps the saying about shu (‘consideration’). Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.
Compassion, therefore, was inseparable from humanity; instead of being motivated by self-interest, a truly humane person was consistently oriented to others.
Compassion is something that we recognise and admire; it has resonated with human beings throughout history and when we encounter a truly compassionate man or woman we feel enhanced. The names of the Quaker prison reformer Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845), the hospital reformer Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), and Dorothy Day (1897-1980), founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, have all become bywords for heroic philanthropy. Despite the fact that they were women in an aggressively male society, all three succeeded in making the compassionate ideal a practical, effective and enduring force in a world that was in danger of forgetting it. The immense public veneration of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Martin Luther King (1929-1968), Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama shows that people are hungry for a more compassionate and principled form of leadership.
This is a very readable, intensely interesting and meticulously researched book. As with all such attempts to put forward a practical way of living that stems from the often assumed ‘soft’ areas of belief and philosophy, there will undoubtedly be critics. Many businesses are now looking to ethical involvement and social responsibility as important elements of their business plans.
One comment on this book concludes with the following:
Taking as her starting point the teachings of the great world religions, Karen Armstrong demonstrates in twelve practical steps how we can bring compassion to the forefront of our lives. These steps both reveal the inadequacies of our knowledge of ourselves and others and enable us to unlock our potential for understanding, empathy and altruism that can be translated into acts of kindness and charity. They culminate in the most radical and challenging of all religious maxims – love your enemy. Yet in today’s world, compassion is no longer a luxury but, in the words of Martin Luther King, ‘an absolute necessity for our survival’.
Practising these steps will not change our lives overnight and turn us into saints or sages: the attempt to become a more compassionate human being is a lifelong project. Yet Karen Armstrong argues that compassion is inseparable from humanity and by transcending the limitations of selfishness on a daily basis we will not only make a difference in the world but also lead happier, more fulfilled lives.
We have enjoyed a very busy Term 2. Our exam and testing program has been important for all our students. We are keen for them to enjoy their learning and always aim for their own personal excellence of endeavour.
Enjoy a well earned holiday and we look forward to seeing you in Term 3.