Compassion often requires work on the side of the person giving it, but sometimes the best work is to do nothing at all. Similar to the idea of avoiding the trap of “we have to do something“, compassion can sometimes be best served by becoming an empty vessel.
The book “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” shared a deep insight into this that really struck me. From the book, they said:
Compassionate emptiness. The two words seized me and would not let go. Compassionate emptiness. To me that meant a state of nonjudgmental receiving. I thought:
“I will try to be in that state when people come to me to recount their burdens.”
From that day on, whenever somebody would come by to pour out their company woes, I would listen. In silence.
I would imagine myself to be an empty vessel only to receive. As fully as possible. Without judgment.
This is something I tend to not do well with, as I like to see myself as a problem solver. How can you solve a problem if you’re listening in silence? Many times, that silence might indeed be the very best way to help solve the problem.
