For the assigned Day of Compassion I decided to try and be compassionate towards people in ways more than just financial. Usually I would express compassion on a daily basis by helping people who asked for money. But for this day, I decided to not only do that but try and be as aware of people’s needs, problems and suffering as I can be and try to help them in any way I can. I aimed to encourage my compassion to encompass everyone I crossed paths with that day
The incidents I went through in the Day of Compassion helped me realize a lot of things. What I found strange was that I felt as if the Day of Compassion had given me a pass to do all the things I always wanted to do but was too afraid to. Like offering help to people who weren’t asking for it and smiling at strangers disregarding the fact that the smiles might be mistakenly perceived as something else. I was afraid of performing acts like these because I never knew how people would react to my actions. I was always afraid I would be seen as an intruder and as a person who was arrogant and thought everyone needed help. After this day I realized that these thoughts were pathetic justifications and that even if they were true, helping anyone who really does want help and doesn’t know how to ask is worth taking that risk. The benefits of being compassionate definitely outweigh the costs.
I also realized that financial help is not the only help a person can offer, sometimes the concern for another person and just being a helping hand and a listening ear to someone in need will greatly improve their psychological state and ease their suffering. The simple act of knowing I made someone smile made me feel like I connected with someone, even a stranger, and might have helped improve their mood, even if only for a second. I found this extremely refreshing and uniquely gratifying.
That day I spent a few hours with my Grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease. I sat with her and gave her my full attention and just rejoiced in giving her the company she greatly needed. I was not even once annoyed at the fact that she kept repeating the same questions or that we had the same conversation for hours. I actually felt grateful that I was able to be someone she enjoyed sitting with. At first I thought it was the Day of Compassion, but then I realized that this is the way I usually treat my Grandmother. This helped me realize that human beings sometimes have the capacity to do compassionate things by nature and that these actions seem so subtle and natural that they do not even notice doing them.
I came to the conclusion that the person I was before The Day of Compassion was the same person I was on that day with the exception that I was previously holding myself back in fear. That day helped me lose those bonds and become the person I always wanted to be. I believe that this day assisted me in finally helping me overcome these unreal ‘social’ boundaries I had put up to protect myself and others (or so I thought).
An example of this new sense of liberation was the night after the Day of Compassion. I was in a taxi cab, and the driver kept on whispering to himself and saying “I really want to sleep, just an hour; oh God please let me sleep for just an hour.” For the first second when I overheard this I thought to myself “ Oh God I hope I get home safe” but then a thought popped into my mind saying “ I really hope this man gets home safe too and has some rest and overcomes any problems he might have”. Then I told myself that my wishes for him shouldn’t be my only step. When we reached my apartment building I had a bottle of cold water that I had with me. I gave him the bottle and told him “Here take some cold water to keep you stay fresh and awake…be safe.” The Day of Compassion helped me realize that actions are needed not just thoughts. I also learned to do the thing that seems compassionately right and ignore any justifications for not doing them. Before I gave him the bottle I thought “What if he gets offended?” but then I realized I am thinking about how his offense will retaliate onto me and how it would affect me. When I realized how self-centered I was being I understood that my first impulse which was giving him the bottle was the right thing to do. The man accepted it and thanked me graciously. I was extremely glad to notice that the mind set I had put myself in for the Day of Compassion is still with me today and I know it will stay with me form now on.
I believe that human nature harbors compassion towards others, in some people this compassion just has to be recognized. I also believe that society would benefit tremendously if we all act compassionately towards each other. A society where people treat each other compassionately will be a land of happiness. Some might think that this idea is far fetched but if we take into consideration the injunctive norm of reciprocity, where people tend to respond to others the way those others acted towards them we see that this is possible. If you are treated compassionately you will most likely treat compassionately, which will help foster a stronger community.