I came across this quote on compassion the other day and have been eager to share it with you all. Read it over and let it soak in. Then consider the questions that follow. If you’re like me, you will be surprised who it came from. It’s very thought-provoking.
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as some thing separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is itself a part of the liberation, and the foundation for inner security.”
- How do you experience this perceived sense of being separate from others?
- Can you relate to this delusion of being separate as being like a prison? If so, what does the prison look like in your own life?
- How would compassion help to set you free from this so-called prison?
- What would it look like to have that kind of compassion?
- What can you do this week to start living with more compassion?
- Finally, compassion will be an essential element in discovering your purpose and living your legacy. How will living a life full of compassion help you know at the end of your life that you loved people well and that your life mattered?
This quote is an excerpt from a letter written by Albert Einstein to Norman Salit on March 4, 1950. I found it in a book I am reading, Mindfulness: An 8-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams.
Feel free to share with us your thoughts and impressions of it.
