Older, but no wiser
Andy Borrows' musings on life and all its confusion, contradictions, richness and opportunities
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Cost of compassion
Our church services tend to be interactive affairs; this morning’s was no exception.
Find a partner, we were told, and each tell the other about an occasion when someone did something for you, at a cost to themselves. Then each tell about an occasion when you did something for someone else, at a cost to yourself.
It wasn’t easy. The hard part, for me, was simply finding the stories. I’m a little ashamed to say that, off the top of my head, I couldn’t even think of one, either way.
Never mind religion for the moment; this is about how far we go in breaking down the carefully constructed barriers that protect our identities, and living out reckless human compassion one for another.
I came away not very proud, and rather thoughtful.
Find a partner, we were told, and each tell the other about an occasion when someone did something for you, at a cost to themselves. Then each tell about an occasion when you did something for someone else, at a cost to yourself.
It wasn’t easy. The hard part, for me, was simply finding the stories. I’m a little ashamed to say that, off the top of my head, I couldn’t even think of one, either way.
Never mind religion for the moment; this is about how far we go in breaking down the carefully constructed barriers that protect our identities, and living out reckless human compassion one for another.
I came away not very proud, and rather thoughtful.
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