What does compassion look like to a neuroscience researcher? It begins with a stress response. You are aware of and are touched by the suffering of another and are feeling distress. You feel connected to the one who is suffering and, as the action area of the brain becomes activated, you have a desire to alleviate it.
We need to see evidence of our connection, the link between our intention and action, such as a hug or relaxed tension. Knowing that our action made a difference is called compassion satisfaction. A heightened awareness and our personal biases or fears about a group of people can be exhausting, but we can avoid this fatigue by making a conscious choice to respond to suffering and focus attention in a way that allows compassion to flourish. Being part of a compassionate, caring community exposes evidence of others extending kindness. We need to know that it is bigger than each of us so we don’t experience compassion fatigue and let competing feelings drag us down.
Compassion and kindness go a long way in healing our world. It is something that each one of us can do.
All of these thoughts are directly quoted or paraphrased from a lecture by Dr. Kelly McGonigal from Stanford University. If you would like to know more, check out her website http://kellymcgonigal.com. She is a powerful and compassionate speaker.
