1 Way to Grow Your Compassion

by Ryan Biddulph

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Being compassionate accelerates your personal development.

Feeling how other people feel suspends your judgment and dissolves your anger. Fights disappear into compassion, as does distrust, wars and pretty much every problem in life.

One simple – but sometimes uncomfortable – way to grow your compassion seems quite easy to understand but more difficult to embody.

See the world through the eyes of sentient beings other than yourself.

The Third Eye

Rather than trying to see through the eyes of human beings and animals – as the figure of speech goes – intend to see through your 3rd eye by feeling how others feel.

Most people selfishly get so caught up in their world, just trying to survive, that they give virtually no thought to other sentient beings. Being open instantly allows you to see and feel experiences through the eyes of family, friends, pets, wild animals and pretty much all living things you encounter on a daily basis.

Different Region

My wife and I are spending a month in the rural Adirondacks of New York state.

We find the cultural differences between this region and our former home in New Jersey quite fascinating; especially considering how only 3 and a half hours separates the two places.

I spot differences but also do my best to think, feel and experience life through local's eyes. Doing so gives me greater compassion because anything I do not understand becomes crystal clear by seeing, thinking, feeling and sometimes acting as locals do.

I initially felt a bit annoyed on arriving as locals sometimes tailgated our car on the highway. Most folks do not but a few do, even though I maintain the speed limit.

Before getting all angry about it I saw life through the eyes of locals. Imagine if a trip to the corner stone for a gallon of milk in some of these sleepy towns ate up 25 minutes of my time? I would likely drive over the speed limit too. I would probably tailgate drivers doing the speed limit.

OK; I would do neither because I am largely serene, relaxed and patient but any residual tailgating triggered anger disappeared because I understand why people sometimes drive too fast. Contention, judgment and separation vanished. I no longer blame people for driving how they drive because I saw the world through their experience.

Compassion Unites

Seeing the world through their experience literally unites me with locals through the miracle of compassion. Displaying compassion moves your vibe from fear-separation to love-unity. Unifying as many people and animals as possible – no limits to this unification exists – makes every sentient thing whole, one and all powerful, in their own way.

Being compassionate with every sentient being literally solves all of your problems as long as you experience life through the eyes of sentient beings. Problems only arise if you pit yourself against other beings from a predominant energy of fear.

Think, feel and see through the eyes of family members today. The aging parent who shuts themselves off from the world does so from a deep terror of dying alone; seeing the world through their eyes easily allows you to know this truth. Be compassionate your parent. Perhaps you cannot force them to change but at least you form a stronger bond and treat them with greater love and forgiveness because you know where they are coming from.