"Compassion, compassion, compassion..."
Jul. 2nd, 2003 12:28 pmI'm having some trouble working a thought process out - any viewpoints offered will be gratefully accepted.
I'm trying to work out the line between being compassionate and being a 'pollyanna'. In Buddhism, there's compassion, and there's 'idiot compassion'. Like most things in Buddhist philosophy, the words are layered with subtlety, and sometimes what you think they mean isn't what they mean at all.
The idea of being a 'pollyanna' is a very culturally instilled thing, I think. Our culture has a very heavy focus on 'looking out for number one', and to hell with all the rest. However, I think there's a scale between being compassionate and being and idiot-doormat, but I'm not sure how one can tell where they are on that scale at any point in time.
I want to be as compassionate as I am capable of being, in all things. However, I know my own tendency towards doing anything I can to avoid 'fuss', which can at times turn me into a pollyanna. I'm having real trouble figuring out where these lines are.
I'm trying to work out the line between being compassionate and being a 'pollyanna'. In Buddhism, there's compassion, and there's 'idiot compassion'. Like most things in Buddhist philosophy, the words are layered with subtlety, and sometimes what you think they mean isn't what they mean at all.
The idea of being a 'pollyanna' is a very culturally instilled thing, I think. Our culture has a very heavy focus on 'looking out for number one', and to hell with all the rest. However, I think there's a scale between being compassionate and being and idiot-doormat, but I'm not sure how one can tell where they are on that scale at any point in time.
I want to be as compassionate as I am capable of being, in all things. However, I know my own tendency towards doing anything I can to avoid 'fuss', which can at times turn me into a pollyanna. I'm having real trouble figuring out where these lines are.