I heartily agree! My confusion lies more in the area of people doing harm to others, not me. And I get impatient because I don't know how compassion after the fact helps. For instance, when some 19-year-old shoots people in a church or a school (or anywhere), I can't imagine forgiving them, and my thinking just comes to a stop. I know intellectually something is very wrong in the shooter's life, but I don't see a useful reaction for myself.
Thanks for bringing the discussion into the realm of the practical, Sue! That’s the toughest case, for sure. I too feel a kind of outrage and want justice when someone harms others. Justice seems to me like karma, a natural consequence of doing harm that causes the person to face their mistakes and maintains social order. It’s hard to feel compassion for a violent offender but sometimes I do try—especially if they were themselves a victim in some way. Often I just can’t get there though, and like you, my mind just doesn’t know what to do with it.
Thank you for writing about this! I had such a similar experience within Christianity---the forced forgiveness especially. I also found that the practices of empathy and compassion were so much more healing than forgiveness. Cheers to the healing journey!
Thanks so much for sharing what resonated for you, Kandi. I’m not involved in any religion now, but Buddhism draws me most because I find so much peace and wisdom in practicing mindfulness and compassion. What a difference it makes when we can feel things from another’s perspective and genuinely hope the best for them. Yes, cheers to the healing journey! 😊
I heartily agree! My confusion lies more in the area of people doing harm to others, not me. And I get impatient because I don't know how compassion after the fact helps. For instance, when some 19-year-old shoots people in a church or a school (or anywhere), I can't imagine forgiving them, and my thinking just comes to a stop. I know intellectually something is very wrong in the shooter's life, but I don't see a useful reaction for myself.
Thanks for bringing the discussion into the realm of the practical, Sue! That’s the toughest case, for sure. I too feel a kind of outrage and want justice when someone harms others. Justice seems to me like karma, a natural consequence of doing harm that causes the person to face their mistakes and maintains social order. It’s hard to feel compassion for a violent offender but sometimes I do try—especially if they were themselves a victim in some way. Often I just can’t get there though, and like you, my mind just doesn’t know what to do with it.
Thank you for writing about this! I had such a similar experience within Christianity---the forced forgiveness especially. I also found that the practices of empathy and compassion were so much more healing than forgiveness. Cheers to the healing journey!
Thanks so much for sharing what resonated for you, Kandi. I’m not involved in any religion now, but Buddhism draws me most because I find so much peace and wisdom in practicing mindfulness and compassion. What a difference it makes when we can feel things from another’s perspective and genuinely hope the best for them. Yes, cheers to the healing journey! 😊