user 115627
It's all so tiresome.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2014
- Messages
- 4,979
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Excesses of Compassion
Those who had the misfortune of crossing paths with me should be aware of this already, but to properly introduce everyone else to the topic at hand, let me point out that I do not see myself as a particularly compassionate person. I do not deem compassion a bad thing within the confines of personal advice and problem-solving, neither do I see bluntness as bad which I consider the other end of the spectrum. But I do believe it is important to be honest with other people and in that regard I will be perfectly honest right away and say: This is in no way the same as being blunt. Sure, you can wield truth like a dagger and stab people in the face with it. But this is by no means productive if you are interested in more than reveling in your own moral superiority while pointing at the mess of a person you left behind who was just too “weak” to handle the truth. We all have met people who engaged in this behavior and on occasions I have been one of them. I want to address something equally dangerous and detrimental though.
The virtue of compassion is held up extraordinarily high by certain people and admittedly it is not something that evokes a bitter taste in one's mouth. With compassion often comes the desire to not hurt other people and who could possibly disagree with that sentiment? I intend to do so, especially when the immediate goal to not hurt another individual turns into a long-term game plan at the expense of the truth. Something I have witnessed all too often is putting honesty on hold for the sake of respecting feelings which can be completely detached from any objective reality. But once you have acknowledged someone's state of mind in that manner, it is likely they will feel more secure in their version of reality and it only becomes more difficult to introduce them to another one. Worst of all, you will end up losing more and more grip on your own which is ideally closer to an objective and truthful reality. This cannot be in anybody's best interest. Your previous goal of preventing harm should not turn into a catch-up game of sheltering the other person to the point where they will not be able to live should the truth ever dare to shine its purifying light into the dungeon they built in their own head. Because once you end up there, both of you will find out what real suffering means.
I realize that everyone has their domain and I certainly know what mine is. So consider this just an appeal to balance and truth. I think these are the virtues both the more blunt and the more compassionate people adhere to in their own ways. Situations and individuals vary greatly, so adapting and choosing the right tool for the job should be the proper path. Not the propagation of one's higher morality or accusing everyone who does not follow of being the evil demons which only exist in the confines of your own mind.
Those who had the misfortune of crossing paths with me should be aware of this already, but to properly introduce everyone else to the topic at hand, let me point out that I do not see myself as a particularly compassionate person. I do not deem compassion a bad thing within the confines of personal advice and problem-solving, neither do I see bluntness as bad which I consider the other end of the spectrum. But I do believe it is important to be honest with other people and in that regard I will be perfectly honest right away and say: This is in no way the same as being blunt. Sure, you can wield truth like a dagger and stab people in the face with it. But this is by no means productive if you are interested in more than reveling in your own moral superiority while pointing at the mess of a person you left behind who was just too “weak” to handle the truth. We all have met people who engaged in this behavior and on occasions I have been one of them. I want to address something equally dangerous and detrimental though.
The virtue of compassion is held up extraordinarily high by certain people and admittedly it is not something that evokes a bitter taste in one's mouth. With compassion often comes the desire to not hurt other people and who could possibly disagree with that sentiment? I intend to do so, especially when the immediate goal to not hurt another individual turns into a long-term game plan at the expense of the truth. Something I have witnessed all too often is putting honesty on hold for the sake of respecting feelings which can be completely detached from any objective reality. But once you have acknowledged someone's state of mind in that manner, it is likely they will feel more secure in their version of reality and it only becomes more difficult to introduce them to another one. Worst of all, you will end up losing more and more grip on your own which is ideally closer to an objective and truthful reality. This cannot be in anybody's best interest. Your previous goal of preventing harm should not turn into a catch-up game of sheltering the other person to the point where they will not be able to live should the truth ever dare to shine its purifying light into the dungeon they built in their own head. Because once you end up there, both of you will find out what real suffering means.
I realize that everyone has their domain and I certainly know what mine is. So consider this just an appeal to balance and truth. I think these are the virtues both the more blunt and the more compassionate people adhere to in their own ways. Situations and individuals vary greatly, so adapting and choosing the right tool for the job should be the proper path. Not the propagation of one's higher morality or accusing everyone who does not follow of being the evil demons which only exist in the confines of your own mind.
