Compassionate Action During Challenging Times
As you read this, I suspect many of us are sitting on pins and needles as we await the results of the presidential election. In addition, in the Southeast, we have recently been hit by hurricane Helene, a devastating weather event that also carried with it the felt sense of the larger climate crisis we are all facing. The wars continue to escalate in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. And then of course there are the day to day stressors that we all face in our lives. All of this is a lot for the human psyche to handle. We can feel overwhelmed, confused, and even hopeless and helpless at times. Many of these challenges can feel out of reach to be able to effect any kind of change. Perhaps geographically, we are not in immediate proximity to the specific climate event, or perhaps we feel as if we do not have enough power to make a difference in these larger social issues.
Recently, I offered a talk to our sangha about the Three Tenants of Peacemaking. This term coined by Bernie Glassman, an American Zen Roshi, involves developing not-knowing, bearing witness, and engaging in compassionate action. Being committed to practicing these three skills leads us to a more spacious mind, a more open heart, and a more peaceful life, even in challenging times (for more in-depth on all three of these, please go to my dhamma talk). In this newsletter, I wanted to offer a few more thoughts on the third of these three tenants: compassionate action.
Instead of becoming paralyzed or overwhelmed during challenging times, we can take the opportunity to lean into the practice of compassionate action. After letting go of our fixed ideas and pausing to bear witness to the world as it is, we can call upon this action-oriented tenant.
As we heed this inner call to take compassionate action, we can first notice what is needed right around us, in our own community. Taking action might mean offering a kind word to someone in need, reaching out to an elderly neighbor, participating in local social justice efforts, taking more specific steps to reduce our own carbon footprint, or simply being fully present with a friend who is suffering. Whatever steps we take to engage with the suffering of another has a ripple effect. What we do and how we live matters not just to us but to the collective.
We cannot control the ultimate outcome of anything in life, but stepping into compassionate action can diminish the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness and it also widens the capacity of our own heart. Through living into compassionate action we situate ourselves in the middle of life, deeply connected to all sentient beings, other humans, animals, insects, and Mother Earth herself. After all, we truly are all in this life together.