I Live In A Kind Compassionate World

Our brain believes our thoughts.

This is a problem given the stream of alarming thoughts generated by hypervigilance in our nervous system. We look at the state of our world and we are distressed and afraid. Our nervous systems are overloaded in our modern culture, trying to cope with too much noise, disturbing images, fear and stress. Many people live disconnected from their body, environment, and each other.

A foundation of healing trauma and building a more resilient nervous system is to realize and experience that we are safe (enough) in this moment and in this place we are in. There are many ways to increase our experience of safety. Click here to learn more about regulating your nervous system.

Today we are using this tendency of our brain to believe our thoughts to allow us to visit or “live” in a different world. We are not limited to current conditions.

I Live In A Kind Compassionate World

What is your response to those words? “That’s not true” is one response but is the statement completely false?

Bring to mind a time when you experienced kindness and compassion and let that develop fully in your memory. Be specific. Who was there? What were the circumstances? The sounds, scents, sense perceptions? Was it the kindness on someone’s face, the warm tone of their voice, or a supportive hand on your shoulder? Feel that in your body as you remember.

Now bring to mind a time when you were kind and compassionate with someone and let that develop fully in your memory. Be specific. Who was there? What were the circumstances? The sounds, scents, sense perceptions? How were they responding to the kindness on your face, the warmth in your voice, or the way you reached for their hands. Perhaps their body softened, they took a big breath, or they teared up and began to cry. How does that feel in your body as you remember?

*****

One thing that frightens me is the way people can be oblivious and reckless. What scares you? Your mind will likely bring in a torrent of examples and evidence to back you up but don’t get stuck there. What is the opposite of that?

I live in a world where people are connected with themselves, are aware of other people around them, and are considerate and respectful with each other.

In a grocery store, I’ve noticed people are more considerate in my small local market than in larger stores in the nearby city, perhaps because we feel more connected. I visualize myself walking through a large store, attuned with my own body, noticing who is around me, and sharing a smile with people as we near each other.

When driving, all of us honor our joint commitment to safety. We pay attention, we allow others to safely merge, we give ourselves enough time so we’re not in a rush, and we remember that driving can be an experience that activates survival responses. We breathe, soften our shoulders, and maintain our good will and connection with others on the road.

When we’re in a social setting, we notice who is there with us. We enjoy being kind and including everyone in the conversation. We feel relaxed because we are all honoring our humanity. We savor the warmth of our connection in our heart.

We might notice when we’re visualizing these positive experiences of life in a kind compassionate world, that our mind has a variety of responses. We might soften into the visualization for awhile then we’re reminded that the opposite is more true. This is a practice and we can keep bringing ourselves back.

Yes, we have to pair our dreams with action but prior to that, we need to dream and bring possibilities to our hearts.

Awareness is the first step then we can more effectively move into action to change our world and change the world. Much of what scares us is because our nervous system is activating survival responses of fight, flight, freeze. Our cultural conditioning is powerful. Our survival response takes priority. It helps to take a step back so we can see the forces at play.

I Live In A Kind Compassionate World

We practice connection and compassion to help us navigate our challenging world. We witness and see clearly what activates us into hypervigilance, and we experience what helps us to come into a more regulated state of feeling safer. From this base, we are able to reclaim a felt sense of inner safety and navigate life with more ease and grace.

We can nurture life in our own kind compassionate world, for our own enjoyment and happiness and also as a way to bring possibilities to life in our communities and in the wider world.

Join us to explore together this week in our Sunday free community class. Details here.