As I sat late into the night with one of my dear friends we were both wrestling with what it takes to be truly compassionate. We both went through a list of nonprofits and social justice movements that we had supported by “giving up something in our lives” like for example donating our unused and worthless Caf points at the end of the year – without a doubt the ultimate selfless act of charity.
In comparison to sacrificial figures of the past however our efforts seem usually quite small and unfocused. In fact it is normally unclear as to what or who they actually benefit. The minute you finish wiping off tears of overwhelming compassion for victims of the Rwandan genocide you are breaking down about Cambodia’s economic devastation. After you’ve sent your $20 “pledge” to Invisible Children you begin to tear your sackcloth (sorry cheesy biblical reference) for the sake of people joining the Facebook group titled “If one million join this group I’ll pledge $5 to sweatshop victims.” Essentially in this day and age every action we participate in (down to buying your shoes and cereal) does not seem to possess validity unless it saves a child or nourishes the depleting population of puffins.
Now that you are probably offended and think I hate social justice and being globally aware allow me to defend what I am really trying to convey. With so many efforts causes and demands being presented to us every day it’s much too easy to get distracted by the fray. More importantly we so often neglect to focus our energy on the causes we are most passionate about and utilize our skills accordingly. It’s kind of like when you’re talking with a friend and they’re texting in their lap … while driving. We are a generation with enough technology to allow our Attention Deficit Disorder to sustain us but will ADD sustain the people we claim to help and serve? A very wise (former) nun once told me “You have a very compassionate heart but you have no direct skill that is tangible or helpful for the people you seek to serve.” Yeah it was blunt and needed. Many despise the idea of the desk job – especially me – even though it takes me sitting at a desk right now to write this article. People generally want to be out serving others but lack the patience and determination it takes to develop a tangible skill with which to actually help them.
What then is our task? I do not presume to have any answers to this topic but I do have observations gleaned from my own experience with largely aimless pursuits. What if we stopped trying to do everything for everyone and started simply assessing what we are good at and what we are bad at? Perhaps then we’d begin to realize that we are not superhuman and do require each other’s help and cooperation to truly serve a greater community effectively. Sometimes this may even mean acting as an essential ingredient and never receiving credit for your actions. It’s easy to read that sentence and assume the “glory seeker” is not you but just think for a moment: Would you still do the things you do if no one ever knew that you did them? To be truly effective in transforming the world perhaps we should start by focusing on our individual strengths and then just allow the rest to unfold naturally.