Compassion, Basically

June 30, 2021 Empathy - Compassion No Comments

This text and diagram form an entry to the basic idea of Compassion as I write about in many blogs.

Preliminary

Note that the following diagram is but a mnemonic coat rack. It needs the proper coats for any correct understanding. Some of these are more intellectual, others more pragmatic, to be grasped by doing. Note also the why-what-how as an additional tool for memorization.

I write Compassion with a capital C because subconceptual processing is involved [see: “About ‘Subconceptual’”], making it a complex concept. [see: “Complex is not Complicated”] One should never underestimate this complexity, especially not in Compassionate practice.

The one(s) towards which Compassion is felt can be any sentient being(s). Conceptually, it can also include, for instance, a child having Compassion for a doll.

Empathy is an important part of Compassion. In the diagram, it is subsumed under ‘depth.’ For more about empathy, [see: “Landscape of Empathy“] or category ‘Empathy’ on the blog.

Diagram

For more information about:

Mental-neuronal patterns in subconceptual processing, [see: “Patterns in Neurophysiology”]
Rationality + depth, [see: “AURELIS USP: ‘100% Rationality, 100% Depth’“]
Relief of suffering + Fostering growth, [see: “Two-Sided Compassion“]

(Bidirectional) pattern recognition

This is central in the ‘how’ of Compassion. For more information, [see: “From Mirror Neurons to Mirror Brain”]

For instance, when talking to another person, one may consciously capture the conceptual content. Meanwhile, non-consciously, one captures much more: thousands of details and many meaningful patterns within this abundance.

Metaphorically speaking, Compassion leads to a profound overlap of such mental patterns, for instance, while talking. One can see these as transparent blueprints that more or less resemble each other. Their resemblance can be appreciated by (mentally) overlaying them, bringing forward their differences and similitudes just by looking ― no calculations needed, just looking in a deep, Compassionate way.

This appreciation can be done in one or two directions in the case of talking. AURELIS-coaching makes this into art and science. This way, the coach responds to the coachee and invites the coachee to be responsive to the coach. Bidirectional pattern recognition forms a deep-to-deep communication whereby the coachee can change/grow from the inside out, supported by the coach.

Of course, ethics is of prime importance in this, as it is in any Compassionate endeavor. For instance, none of both should lose oneself in the other person. Both should grow from the process, each time again. There should be no instrumental changing of the mind, no reprogramming of any sort.

Compassionate attitude

Compassion encompasses feeling but is not restricted to this. It is an attitude in which feeling and thinking are deeply intertwined. Within the ‘what,’ rationality may seem more related to thinking, depth more to feeling. However, in reality, both are so much intertwined that the distinction becomes much less important, at least.

The resulting attitude also includes a natural propensity for action with a profoundly spontaneous flavor. Understanding Compassion makes one see that there is nothing egoistic in this — quite the contrary.

What about Lisa? [see: “Lisa”]

Lisa’s being Compassionate is very different from any human case.

Nevertheless, ‘pattern recognition and completion’ forms the basis of Lisa’s inferencing. Through specific ways of working this out, Lisa can guide the user towards self-Compassion. Thus, per the diagram, the user may gradually feel Lisa having a Compassionate attitude.

My dream

You may have noticed ‘engenders’ in the diagram. In my view, a Compassionate person naturally invites others to become (more) Compassionate too. Compassion engenders Compassion. With more people, this can become a self-perpetuating pattern within a community. In many cases at present, I see the reverse, non-Compassionate pattern.

Also, in healthcare, this makes it more important to give attention to the why-how-what of healing. This brings ethics within the healing itself. [see: “What is Success in Therapy?“] I didn’t yet encounter this idea anywhere else.

My ultimate dream is one of worldwide Compassion in which people can grow individually and towards each other. [see: “Worldwide Compassion”]