As I stood on the street corner I watched person after person walk over a homeless man as if he were garbage…
Would people walk over me as if I were garbage if I were lying in the street?
No they wouldn’t…wouldn’t because I don’t appear to be “indigent”...
What does appearance have to do with human compassion...why does how a man or a woman look matter?
Have you walked over a person...homeless or not...different than you and refused to look at them...been disgusted by them...not even thought about them?
Compassion…where has human compassion gone?
What does it mean to show compassion and respect to others?
I find myself bothered by several things. Really bothered…
The lack of compassion that I see from one person to another
The lack of time and energy put into relationships
The amount of waste that happens
The lack of investment in the lives of people around the world
I know that most of you reading this are caring, kind and helpful people.
I also know that most of you, myself included, get wrapped up taking care of our daily lives....we feel stretched..
Caring for our loved ones...our jobs, our homes, our friends, ourselves….all things that need tended…all important things..
I am grateful I have loved ones, a job, a home and friends to tend to...not everyone has what I have...many people do not have what I have...
What about those who are homeless, hungry, abused...how are we showing kindness, compassion and respect for them?
I don't care about the age old argument I have found myself in over and over again about how or why they are homeless, hungry, struggling with addiction or mental illness...choice, not a choice...I don't care...I don't care...I don't care..I don't care to have that argument anymore.
What I really care about is how we are helping the homeless, hungry, and abused. How are we showing that we have compassion, respect and love for them.
How do we sustain that everyday…helping someone....
It isn’t about the one trip a year to build houses or the volunteering once a month…those are wonderful things…not to be minimized...
What I want to know is what we are doing in our everyday lives..
Is it possible for us to take a few moments everyday of our lives from this day forward to show respect, kindness, empathy and practice understanding to someone we may have overlooked?
Share a smile, a kind word, eye contact, a cup of coffee.
Stop and look around; take a few minutes every day to practice compassion.
Don’t walk over a person as if they are garbage in the streets….as if they are invisible.
People are not invisible…
Make eye contact, smile, let them know you care and hope things get better for them…take a moment to listen to someone…
Every human being wants to be treated with love, kindness, respect and compassion…we all want to feel as if our story matters to someone…
Practice this everyday...to the neighbor...the clerk...the gentlemen sitting in the rain on the corner....
Don't do it to get your name on a plaque or for a tax deduction...do it because... people are worth it...people need it...people deserve it...
Practice compassion and respect with me
Keeping it Real with Dr. Mary G
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