09 Nov Lessons in humility

Posted at 18:27h in Academia, communication, grad school by
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I watched a friend deftly navigate the sticky waters of Holier Than Thou last night. He quietly and patiently smiled (beamed, really) as he listened to the Lesson to be Learned, and congratulated people for Figuring It Out.

I was too tired to pretend to be polite, but I did watch. It was a beautifully deft maneuver of kindness and humble patience. I have a lot to learn.

I asked my colleagues recently why we judge. What is it that compelled us to make judgments, then pass them along? Or worse, why shouldn’t we judge? I couldn’t put my finger on it until someone reminded me of compassion.

It’s very easy to declare empathy or compassion for the World Out There, but what about the one Right Here? What is that divide that separates our attempts to rationally excavate the relationality of the most distant but so incapable of doing it at the close? How do expectations get entangled in spatiality? Are their scales of compassion?

1 Comment
  • Lara S.
    Posted at 11:09h, 17 November

    From what I’ve learned about judgments, when we judge, we are no longer looking at ourselves. And therefore, we are avoiding our Self Work. It’s much easier to point out what’s “wrong” with others, rather than redirect focus to our own issues. 🙂