Practicing Compassion in Transformative Times, June Newsletter
Hi friend,
How are you? I mean it, “How are you, really?”
I know it’s not an easy question—maybe even a loaded one—but I really want to know.
I want to know because I am worried—worried about all of us (myself included).
Most of the folks in this community are servant leaders, caretakers, space holders, sensitive people that feel the pain around them and desire to alleviate suffering.
Folks like you, like us, have a lot of work to do, but our capacity is stretched beyond belief right now.
Do you relate?
In this pivotal, historical, transformative moment, I find myself re-evaluating everything.
For the last few months, I’ve transitioned all of my work to helping others connect with, process, and hold compassion for, the difficult emotions that are coming up right now.
And I think I’ve learned something important, pivotal even, about this particular moment we find ourselves in.
For those who are ready, right now is the time to connect with our pain, to touch it deeply—so deeply in fact that it completely transforms us.
When we build our capacity to be with our own suffering, we build our capacity to endure the suffering of others—to calmly face it with a clear and willing heart.
This is what Ghandi called Satyagraha. What Martin Luther King called Soul Force. What became known in the Civil Rights Movement as the way of non-violence.
Here’s what it means in action: We can train ourselves to neutralize our own pain through compassionate presence. We can then cultivate this ability further to hold compassionate and healing space for others.
I am not suggesting that there is a "right way" to respond to pain. We're seeing many responses right now, and each is valid.
I know, too, that for those who internalize the capacity to be with grief, sadness, and fear compassionately, they will be transformed. They will also be capable of transformation in their communities and worlds.
This may be the exact transformation that is most needed right now—a strengthened ability to hold compassionate space in the face of tremendous pain, to remain clear enough to see the truth amidst tremendous suffering.
Does any of this resonate?
If so, let’s talk. Let’s build community. Let’s believe in our individual and collective selves enough to know that transformation is possible.
In Love and Care,
Brandi
Want more?