Gloria asks: where are they in the world today? And how coaching can provide an insight.
These are words that sound quite simple and straightforward but in reality are quite powerful and mean so much. As human beings we have been created to have these qualities inherently within us. These are some of the gifts that have been bestowed upon us as human beings that separate us from the animal kingdom. Sadly, these three gems seem to be sorely missing in our lexicon today and even more worrying, they are being eroded and becoming less evident in our interpersonal relations with one another. These are qualities we are in desperate need of to survive as a human race so we don’t lose the essence of what separates us from the lower animals.
So let’s look a little closer at these three beautiful words. Compassion is about showing kindness, consideration and genuine concern for your fellow human being. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s position, showing understanding. Humanity, which is the umbrella under which all three are housed, is about humankind, mercy, charity, civilisation; it’s about people!
From what we are observing these days, these virtues are so thin on the ground at the moment that you literarily have to search to find them. We no longer bat an eyelid to what has replaced them which is meanness, cruelty, unkindness and a general lack of humanity. In some cases people even mock you if they think you display these virtues in any sustained way. The alternative and what is fast becoming the norm is greed, baseness, rudeness, crassness, with a huge dose of the worship of fame and fortune at any cost. There is a difference between ambition, a strive for excellence, a desire to succeed and the negativity mentioned above. It’s a sad state of affairs as well as quite frightening when you see the extent people are willing to go to inflict the most pain on their fellow human beings.
From a place of mental health care which is my area of expertise I am baffled on the one hand but equally not surprised at the level of self inflicted psychological damage that many people levy on themselves through the absence of compassion, empathy and humanity. There are no winners in a society that takes pleasure in harming its most vulnerable. Individuals are damaged, communities are damaged and the wider village of the world is also damaged.
People are now officially addicted to inventing damaging stories about others, of spreading fake news in the hope of destroying individuals they have beef with, or that they just envy; without a thought for the collateral damage that may follow their behaviour. In fact some revel in it! I find it quite disheartening that after the traumatic year of 2021 and the amount of loss, grief and various other forms of pain that has resulted from the pandemic, it almost feels like nothing has happened from the way people are conducting themselves and treating one another. What country, world are we leaving for our children and their children to inhabit? The younger generation are watching and soaking it all up and creating a new reality for themselves.
Take the challenge of spending just one 24 hr day (let’s keep it simple and achievable), speaking only the truth, showing compassion, empathy and humanity. Obviously you can continue making the effort to achieve this righteous way of living for as long as you can. If you are already on this path then bless you! If like the rest of us it’s a daily struggle in the face of all the negativity that abounds; then the challenge becomes even more crucial.
When people function from a place of the ego they are more likely to act from fear, hurt, self limiting beliefs. COACHING helps to identify these unhelpful feelings and behaviour that might be holding you back from your full potential and a life of peace, and how to make changes.
