Human Beings Being Human

We can well understand others when they fail, for we ourselves have failed, and we will continue to fail, as will they. They may fail us, but one day we may fail them, if we haven’t already. When we have just failed someone, we may thank God that we may be more compassionate with those who are about to fail us, especially if we experienced compassion; and if we didn’t, compassion is thereby our opportunity. Nobody learns anything when they’re cruelled for having failed. So, in terms of failure, we can understand them, just as we wish for them to understand us.

We can well understand people who hurt people, for we too have hurt people, and continue to do so. They may have hurt us today, but perhaps we will hurt someone tomorrow. We can understand them, just as we wish for them to understand us.

We can well understand those who live with anxiety, for we too have been anxious. Their anxiety may impact us negatively, but our anxiety has impacted others to their detriment. We can understand them, just as we wish for them to understand us.

We can well understand those who judge us, for we too have judged people. Their judgments may have affected our reputation, but we have damaged others’ reputations. We can understand them, just as we wish for them to understand us.

We can well understand what it feels like to be criticised, because we have dealt with criticism. What we hate to have to bear we know all too well. And yet it won’t be long before we are again berating a person, if not verbally, under our breath or in our heart. We can understand them, just as we wish for them to understand us.

We do the same things that we hate being done to us. We can well understand. Human beings being human. That’s a big cause of stress. It needn’t be. We are all the same. Forgiveness is about perspective. We forgive if we feel we warrant forgiveness.

Compassion is its own blessing because the compassionate understand the universal need of empathy. It begins with us. And we are never more blessed to partake without expectation of its return. God has His way of blessing us even if our compassion is not returned.