This kind of synchronicity is powerful...
I have a story to share from the last couple days. The last inspirations have been about trust, compassion, and tolerance for others mistakes. What happened this week was a fascinating teaching for me around compassion.
I was driving down Palm Canyon when I saw a young woman in blue Chevy Vega, stop abruptly to avoid hitting a bicycler. The rider was moving pretty quickly, and he suddenly dropped off the curb to cross the street in front of her as she was turning. She almost hit him but did stop just in time.
I could tell by the jerkiness of his movements that the bicycler's condemning and complaining mind was about to unleash. Within seconds he was battering her with racial slander and vicious obscenities that literally paralyzed her. She just sat there until he was finished, and when he rode away she pulled over and just covered her face with her hands.
My heart just broke. The woman was terrified and obviously had just made a mistake. My first reaction was to resent this man for his cruelty, and I interestingly saw myself siding with the driver, because she was the one being abused. The man was just being a bully, or a "complain in the ass" as I comically refer to them. I have a real personal trigger around aggression.
Then about two minutes later in a different place as I'm stopped at a light, the driver behind me almost slams into me from behind. You can probably guess what happened. Here comes "my own" rage. As I saw it explode within me I also simultaneously saw how afraid and threatened I was, and at that moment I woke up. I flashed to the man on the bike and I completely related to his fear. At that moment I saw his vulnerability, and I laughed as my heart opened up for him in a way it hadn't before. They were "both" victims.
We are "all" vulnerable in some way. This we can trust. When your judging mind kicks in you can break it's momentum with this truth, and you can use these moments as a trigger to send wishes for peace and relief instead.
Imagine everyone as the walking wounded or even as the driving wounded. When that nut cuts you off on the freeway, try to imagine what he must be going through to make him so crazy. It truly "is" possible he just found out his child has cancer or something else tragic just happened.
Compassion doesn't arise instantly because our negative programs are in the way. We have to inspire a compassionate imagination and re-convince ourselves we all deserve it.
The ultimate trust is to remember people need your help. Someone is suffering if they're causing you or others pain. Make it a practice to recognize when you're being critical of someone, and use that as a trigger to send them wishes for healing and peace. Even if it isn't obvious how someone is suffering, you can trust that they've been shut down by some kind of trauma.
And aside from benefiting others with your tolerance and compassionate efforts, every time you can see your judgment as it is happening and extend a wish for healing instead, you are healing your own mind and cultivating your own happiness as well.
Peace to you,
Bryan
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Bryanzerr copyright 2011
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