Compassion through social strife

[Bring4th_Austin]

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Thank you so much for the effort and energy put into your response. It (mostly) makes sense to me at this moment, and it gives a lot to contemplate. If I had more spare energy, I'd love to engage in discussion about the metaphysics of subjective/objective perception that you outline. But for now I simply offer gratitude for the generosity of your post.


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I do think this idea is worthy of highlighting, and relevant to understanding internal process of compassion in times of social strife, though:

I feel at times this "This is an illusion" is utilized as a means to escape the heaviness and suffering of this reality  - ie 'None of this is real'. That would be counterproductive, of course. But the entity must utilize such escapes to the extent it needs to escape.

Interestingly, I wrote my previous post about using appeals to unity to avoid pain before reading this part. Thank you for sharing - I completely agree. Our old friend zenmaster introduced me to the idea of spiritual bypassing, and it has been one of the most useful spiritual perspectives I have encountered on my journey. It is the idea that spirituality, even very valid and real spiritual concepts (like you described), can be used to avoid the experiences we need for true, essential healing and transformation.

But also like you say, entities utilize such to the extent they need. It can be difficult discussing the idea of spiritual bypassing without sounding like it is a condemnation of the act. I think sometimes it is necessary. If we attempted to absorb all of the pain and disharmony of our own personal lives, let alone of the world, all at once, there's no way we'd be able to actually utilize any of it as catalyst for spiritual growth. Escaping and bypassing can be unhealthy, but it can also sometimes be necessary. Such things are sometimes called a "crutch," but when your leg is broken and trying to heal, a crutch aids that process. It seems to be a gentle skill, trying to dismantle our own constructs that are preventing us from experiencing the catalyst we need.