Compassion
I don’t agree with you
But I love you
What happens
when there isn’t love.
When there can’t be
Can something else be found?
Compassion?
Respect?
Empathy?
I wanted my father to love me.
Even though he raised me,
we were strangers.
At 19, he told me
he never loved me
After that,
we didn’t speak
for 20 years.
Over those years,
I learned:
Forgiveness,
was not
a journey
to a loving relationship;
It was
a journey
where I could find
the same amount of
compassion, respect, empathy
for this man
as I would
a stranger.
It feels like
Our world is getting polarized
Our tools, technology, media,
Amplify our nature to estrange
We cluster (Race, gender, country, thought, religion)
We other
Like my father,
it might be too much
to find a journey
to love
But we _must_
find a way to
compassion,
empathy,
and respect
for each other
as strangers
—
notes:
- This isn’t easy, this is really hard
- Hate and anger are easy (you get an instant rush, that can feel good)
- Ultimately will have to find a way, the problems are to big to solve unless we do it as one
- thanks Nick Hernandez, Kami Holtz, Lisa Erickson for the encouragement (and edits). Jem Bevan (for 'words matter' post ), Amiel Weisfogel, Robert Marston and those at CBS Sunday Morning for running the segment on estrangement, which was the catalyst https://cbsn.ws/2ZynGE5
Original linkedin post here: https://bit.ly/3F7VfwX
(worth clicking on the original linkedin Post, because the comments are amazing and often the conversation is better than the original post)