Wise Compassion

Compassion in the form of information someone does not want to hear, but needs to hear, at a time that’s tough for them, about whatever the information needs to be. This is the opposite of “idiot compassion”, which is compassion to agree with whatever someone is not happy about, as if to be supportive, when it does them no good because they had brought it upon themselves.

• Paraphrased, possibly created by Lori Gottleib, derived from the opposite of “idiot compassion” that probably originated with Geoff Gurdjieff (per Wildmind Meditations site)

 

Idiot compassion is practiced by too many. That includes me in times when I’m just not up for the fight, or deem someone else could show the wise compassion more effectively as I don’t have enough credibility with the person to do so… so why do it if I’d only get negative outcomes out of it? Usually, if I thought there were just enough of a realistic chance, never mind a fully realistic change, someone might listen to me give wise compassion, I’m actually up for the challenge.

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