Effective Compassion

Effective compassion can improve our declining morality.

What can we do to improve morality?  We must  improve morality if we want to stop sexual harassment, racial discrimination, the use of illegal drugs, and violence. Reversing the decline in morality is key to making our country a safe place for everyone again.

The current state of our morality (throughout the whole world, actually) appears hopeless, doesn’t it?  But it is not.

Because a “me first” attitude has caused the decline in morality, we need to practice effective compassion to reverse it. Effective compassion causes people to focus on others and what they need, and therefore it will reverse the decline in morality.

What is “effective compassion”?  Together, in this case, these two words mean “sympathetically alleviating others’ distress with the result of reversing the decline in morality”.  All you need to practice this vital virtue are the attributes  discernment and accountability.

• Discernment

The attribute of discernment has two parts.  First,  figuring out who really needs help and who does not.  Second, figuring out what kind of help someone needs.

This trait is developed through the experience of helping others.  When I was going  through my divorce, I volunteered at several centers that help people in need.  I would serve food and clean tables, help people find the right size of clothing at the clothing bank, and do just about anything I could to make someone’s day better.  But to get help at the centers at which I volunteered, another volunteer screened people to discern if they really needed the help and what kind of help  they needed.

Of course, some people tried to get past the screening process but usually could not.  The screening enabled the centers to use their finite  resources to help those who truly needed help.

• Accountability

The second attribute associated with effective compassion is accountability.  Holding others accountable for their actions is essential.

When I was younger, I was raped.  Of course, I filed the police report and followed through to make certain the man who raped me would not hurt anyone else and got the help he needed to cease his immoral behavior.

Of course, I was unlucky enough to get pregnant as a result of the rape.  I held myself accountable  to God and did not have an abortion.  After holding my infant for a few days in the hospital, I handed him over to the social worker and signed adoption papers with tears in my eyes and a broken heart.  I knew I could not take care of my child alone so I gave him the best life I could.

Accountability means accepting no excuses and often is the best type of help we can offer. It also means holding yourself accountable for your own actions and setting the best example possible  for others to follow.

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Practicing effective compassion helps reverse morality because it enables others to change their ways.  When you  give someone the help he needs, you show him you care about and value him.  Likewise, when you hold someone accountable for their actions, you do the same thing.  As a result, holding someone accountable shows that you care enough to not allow someone to continue in their immoral ways.

I am not perfect, but I do practice effective compassion. Would you join me in practicing this much needed virtue?

Help others sail like an eagle over the storm of moral decline by practicing effective compassion.

 

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