| We
pride ourselves on being decent human beings. Why do we sometimes betray
our own finer sensibilities and ignore those who need us? Can it be
because we have lost touch with our own past sufferings?
Someone who forgets his or her own past sufferings
usually has difficulty in relating to the sufferings of others.
People out of touch with their own needs and
weaknesses may not understand the needs and weaknesses of those around them. A
husband who could never understand his wife's sickness finally understood when
he himself became sick.
It would seem that most people have experienced
some kind of suffering in their lives.
It is in the remembrance of one's own suffering
and in the awareness of personal weaknesses that compassion for others can take
root and grow. |
