Tupac Shakur and Compassion

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 Today’s sermon is about being kind, even when you cannot be fond of someone. To illustrate that concept, here is a quote I found online, this one from Tupac Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996): "Just because you lost me as a friend, doesn't mean you gained me as an enemy. I'm bigger than that. I still wanna see you eat, just not at my table."

Tupac was a wise man. This is an incredibly Compassionate statement, and it expreses the fact that you can be kind to somebody you dislike. Compassion is not about being everyone’s friend, it is about not being anyone’s enemy. (I would define an “enemy” as somebody who would trip you if you were both running from a clown.) You can help and support people even if they do not appreciate it or you cannot otherwise stand them. My partner still buys Yule gifts for the very few people she personally does not get along with. One of my friends is doing the one drug I vehemently disagree with, but I am still paying for their cat food and cat litter so their animals do not suffer from their bad decisions. I do not interact with them, but I can still be kind. You should want everyone to eat, whoever they are and wherever they are on their personal journey. You should want everyone to get away from that clown.

This sentiment is also where the practice of Compassion, Patience, and Integrity overlap: Who you are should not depend on who they are; you are who you choose to be. When someone is an asshole to you, how you react is up to you. On the one hand, you can choose to be an asshole back, which just flings more hurt around. On the other hand, however, you can choose to dodge the claws and see the wounds behind the words. The secret is to not give a shit what they think of you, and instead recognize that they are only lashing out because they are suffering somehow.  Your choices define you, and with Self-Control you can maintain your Patience and Serenity when others verbally attack you. Even if you are physically attacked, you can still choose the avenue of least harm as you defend yourself.

As we go through life, our experiences will be partly shaped by our attitude. If we choose not to make enemies and to treat everyone as a fellow human being, we can make the world a better place and will be better, happier people. Are you also "bigger than that?" Have you seen the effect that your mindset and reactions to adversity have had on who you have become?

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