I commented online recently about a grievous sad event that happened in Leicester: “…I hope warmth and compassion can be found as well as strong, effective leadership that might affect attitudes and behaviours of young people in our community…”
‘Compassion’ is a word/idea that specifically resonated with me a few years ago. I can’t remember what I was reading, possibly ‘Humankind’ by Rutger Bregman, but it has lingered subliminally since.
Real compassion is not necessarily easy to grasp, it’s bigger than just sympathy or empathy; it’s these things plus the motivation to help, a feeling/attitude, that leads to action.
Coincidentally, or perhaps it’s been biding its time, the word has come up again recently at work;
We’ve discussed the idea of ‘intentional compassion’ as an underlying attitude for change.
Medical scientist Stephen Trzeciak has studied and written about the power of compassion, showing that it is not just a soft skill but a measurable force that can transform outcomes, improve well-being, and create meaningful change. #compassionomics
Six years ago, thinking about career and purpose, I found myself going through an exercise to visualise some reasons for my being (my Ikigai). Surprisingly, what we eventually came up with at that moment was this:
“I get up in the morning… to discover and experience commonality and connections so that I can interact with people and the wider world, to help us all feel different…” #workinprogress
Maya Angelou wrote, “…people will never forget how you made them feel.”
There’s an African philosophy called ‘Ubuntu’ “I am what I am because of who we all are”, which emphasizes interconnectedness and humanity; “I am because we are”. It suggests that our identity and well-being are deeply tied to our community, belonging, and a shared humanity.
Bewilderingly, I was nominated last year, for my contribution towards our school’s ‘Community’; “Building a sense of belonging in a reflective and stimulating environment. Celebrating care, kindness, and difference, allowing positive relationships to flourish and ensuring communication is excellent.”
I’m an introvert; community is not my area of expertise. Yes, I’m good at visual communication and making graphics work effectively, but as a colleague rightly said, progress “does not happen because of posters… but more specifically because of intentional, small but meaningful, conversations; human moments” – relationships, habits, belief…
Our community starts at the individual level.
So there’s the challenge; l little bit of intentional compassion… humm?
Jules P Richards 