In addressing the gulf between the cruel and the compassionate, an inordinate amount of patience is required.

Since patience is not a commonly known or typical virtue of the cruel, it falls on the compassionate side to invoke the patience. With patience, the compassionate ones exert the effort of showing the cruel ones a better way of being.

Some things are taught through reciprocity, some through example, others are a matter of conditioning and indoctrination, and still other things require more drastic measures – a tale for another time.

The point being, that in dealing with the human condition, there are many avenues down which an individual might progress. I heartily recommend the path of compassion.

For those who say compassion is a weakness, I offer you the patience to go and learn better, and then return for another lesson.

Sometimes going away is an important lesson to learn, and so we practice maintaining healthy boundaries as part of our compassionate, patient, practice.

This is where the strength of compassion is demonstrated, in the maintaining of healthy boundaries and practicing self-care.

I count myself as one who continues to work on these things.

Thanks for sharing your attention with my ideas.

Blessed be!

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