WHAT IS COMPASSION?

Paula T. Webb, PhD

I was recently interviewed by the local Phoenix NBC channel with regard to the situation involving Sgt. Lovejoy, the Chandler Police Officer who, due to personal circumstances, left his Canine Police Partner Bandit, in his patrol car for over 12 hours in 115° heat, and Bandit subsequently died. The question posed to me several times during the interview was what should happen to Sgt. Lovejoy?

Being an animal advocate as well as an ordained minister providing courses in Humane Stewardship, my first inclination, of course, was ‘hang Sgt. Lovejoy from the highest yardarm’ (a throwback to my younger days watching numerous swashbuckling movies). However, upon deeper reflection, I could find sympathy for this police officer that, albeit someone who used very poor judgment in a moment of emotional distress, resulting in the death of his canine partner. Now, before you start throwing darts at me, let me explain further.

The reason I say, let’s have some sympathy or compassion is multi-dimensional. How many of you reading this have ever made a mistake? A mistake, or rather a decision that hurt someone else? A mistake or decision that you knew would make a significant difference in the lives of another, or maybe several or numerous others? You don’t have to answer right now to me but just think about it. I know in my own life, I have definitely made decisions that have affected others in a negative way. Am I sorry? Yes. Do I wish I could change it, most assuredly

So, here we get back to Sgt. Lovejoy. Do I think he would change the way he acted that particular evening – yes, I would like to hope so. And, if we are really honest, here, do I think that any and each one of you reading this would change a particular instance in your life if you could to a more positive outcome, yes, I believe you would.

So, how do we go about creating, or having compassion within ourselves? The first step is wanting to. The second step is to understand that our lack of compassion towards others is only a denial of feeling compassion toward ourselves when we are less than good towards another human being or another partner in the animal kingdom.

“Be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return insult for insult, but on the contrary, return a blessing because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.” Christianity, 1st Book of Peter 3.8-9

“By degrees, little by little, from time to time, a wise person should remove his own impurities…” Buddhism, Dhammapada 239

A spiritual life is simply a life in which all that we do comes from the center, where we are anchored in God.” Evelyn Underhill – A Spiritual Life

We can see from [just] these three quotes throughout history, we can see that we are all fallible and yet, all redeemable

In each and every one of our lives, hasn’t God continually redeemed all of us when we have had less than perfect feelings or actions? I believe this is so, and we should do no less.