Musings On Compassion And celiac disease

[Lisa16]

A few months back I heard an interview with Tich Nhat Hahn. One question was

[YoloGx]

Hear hear to that, Lisa! Beautifully said. I totally agree.

Am just starting to write some memoirs with celiac as the underlying theme. Compassion out of suffering has got to be there...

Bea

[darkhorse]

I agree with this completely. You may feel empathy toward others in bad situations and try your best to help or not make the situation worse, but you wouldn't understand or have compassion without experiencing something similar yourself.

My example of this would be that I am a teacher. One of my kids was diagnosed with diabetes over winter break last year. I tried my best to help her out and make sure she had everything she needed and the other kids didn't say mean things. I also tried to be empathetic when we had parties and things so she wouldn't feel left out. Looking back I know that I truly didn't understand even though I wanted to.

It wasn't until I found out I was gluten/dairy intolerant that I truly understood where she was coming from and what she was going through. It was only then that I saw how frustrating, disappointing, and sad it makes you to have tons of food available that you used to love and not be able to eat any of it. It was only then that I stated going out of my way to find alternatives that she could have as treats or for parties.

I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. The idea that we suffer so we can be more human, so we can feel compassion follows that same belief.

[ravenwoodglass]

And then I thought about this disease, because people with celiac disease do suffer. Sometimes horribly. Compassion, then, must be another gift of this disease.

Because just as this disease changes how you live your life, it also has the power to change how you see other people. It empowers us to reach out and help, to listen, and it forces us to understand. No horrible story or embarassing moment or desperate act is unknown to us or unimaginable any longer. Each one of those things affirms our own experience and existence.

This disease has made us all more human. And just maybe we can use that to make the world a better place.

I firmly believe this to be true. It doesn't just apply to disease but also to poverty, abuse and all the horrible things that happen to us. It also is a choice though, we can let our experiences make us bitter and resentful or we can choose to let them make us more understanding and kind to all. I think pretty much everyone here fits into the latter catagory.

[maile]

Word!

Thank you for posting that!

[mushroom]

Those who lead a charmed life have no idea how the the rest of the world lives. Nuff said.

[chasbari]

So that's why this is one of the most compassionate and giving sites on the internet.... I knew there was a reason!

CS