Bird Droppings March 1, 2012

Compassion and passion are spelled similar

 

Walking in on a Thursday advisement day and already a note from one of my kids on Facebook, can I talk to you this morning? Thinking about teaching and what else could I be doing I often wonder about these two words. So I look to a word coined many years ago in industrial training at Lukens Steel Mill back in the 1960’s and wonder when does the FIDO principle not seem appropriate? The concept of the FIDO principle implies Frequency, Intensity, Duration and Over Again which is the basis for how to teach a topic in some management training courses. However moving that principal to politics for example in a debate when asked a question and you answer with the same politic rhetoric that has been hashed out over and over memorizing is not a good thing yet it has its place when applied properly. Why is there not passion and compassion among our elected officials?

 

“Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”  Henri Frederic Amiel

 

I do not think you can script passion. This may be why often in politics a man who is passionate about what he believes and thinks can overcome odds.

 

“What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person. Are we not, for most of our lives, marking time? Most of our being is at rest, unlived. In passion, the body and the spirit seek expression outside of self. Passion is all that is other from self. Life is only interesting when it releases passion. The more extreme and the more expressed that passion is the more unbearable doe’s life seems without it. It reminds us that if passion dies or is denied, we are partly dead and that soon, come what may, we will be wholly so.” John Boorman

 

“Passion doesn’t look beyond the moment of its existence.” Christian Nevell Bevee

 

An interesting concept is passion, a fleeting yet engrained entity within the core of our being. Passion is momentary yet universal. Is passion the essence of life or the focal point of life and perhaps for different people it can be either?

 

“I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.” George Burns

 

Hard to imagine a diminutive cigar smoking 90 plus year old man as passionate, but George Burns was till he took his last breath. To all about him he added life, exuberance, and light. If you could bottle the essence of George Burns what a world we would have. But within his passion was another word, compassion. While he lived in humor and jest it was never at the expense of another, he always lifted up rather than tear down.

 

“If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.” Joseph Campbell

 

“In the human heart new passions are forever being born; the overthrow of one almost always means the rise of another.” Francois De La Rochefouauld

 

“Live with passion!” Anthony Robbins

 

Sitting here thinking this morning after weeks and weeks filled with political gesturing and posturing I wonder if in life we could be passionate and compassionate. What a combination, throwing all in to caring about others with little disregard for self, not too many of those sort around now a days, especially not in politics be it in our state capital or in Washington. The words get used but the actions dictate otherwise. In one story a local state legislator was hired in sales and marketing for a nonprofit company. This nonprofit company has sales in excess of one hundred and sixty million dollars a year. Conveniently this same legislator is brought a bill to the state vote that will increase sales for his company tremendously and claims it is not a conflict of interest. Only within the past few months this same group has closed and is under federal investigation for money laundering and fraud and the state representitive resigned and moved from the area.

 

“To err is human, but when the eraser wears out ahead of the pencil, you’re overdoing it.” Josh Jenkins

 

As I was thinking earlier this morning wondering, and watching the spinners of politics take on the various aspects of our nation. Several TV stations that from where I was sitting were over whelming one sided seem to find the minutest problems. One man is confident and one unsure of himself fidgeting wrinkling his brow and his notes as he speaks. In a psychological war there was only one victor yet in the war of passion only one man comes across. But do we need a passionate president? Do we need a compassionate president? As I have listened one man has said he is compassionate but in life saying, believing, and doing are not only definitively different words but semantically rhetorically and in simple language if you cannot show it, it ain’t so.

 

“Compassion has no place in the natural order of the world which operates on the basis of necessity. Compassion opposes this order and is therefore best thought of as being in some way supernatural.” John Berger

 

“I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.” Pablo Casals

 

Can compassion be found behind a $120.00 tie and $1500.00 suit? Can compassion, true compassion be found stepping from a chauffeur driven limo and from speech writer’s thoughts. I was reading an editorial about how many Wall Street Investors are tightening their belts. One was quoted with he wasn’t sure how he was going to make payments for his three children to go to an exclusive private school, pay the rent on his Martha’s Vineyard summer cottage, garage rent for his two Audi Quattro’s and feed his family. Does something appear wrong in that statement? His bonuses are being cut as per many banks and investment firms that caused much of the economic disaster we have been through.

 

“The mind is no match with the heart in persuasion; constitutionality is no match with compassion.” Everett Dirkson

 

“Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.” Eric Hoffer

 

So am I picking on wealthy investment bankers not really but when we lose sight of humanity we have in part lost sight of our own humanbeingism. Recently I watched students looking up funny t-shirts one was about paving whales, an anti-environmental sort of thing and I mentioned that that was abhorrent to me and I was reminded it was only meant to be funny. But it is within our humor reality has its basis sadly. How appropriate is drill baby drill when any spare oil produced would be going to exports and not changing our prices but increasing significantly oil company profits. Our refineries are at capacity and oil is going into reserve and being exported then why right now do we need more?

 

“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” Albert Schweitzer

 

“The value of compassion cannot be over-emphasized. Anyone can criticize. It takes a true believer to be compassionate. No greater; burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one cares or understands.” Arthur H. Stainback

 

I am staying up many nights watching news waiting to see passion and compassion from the elected officials in local and national politics. I have heard political jargon, but between the lines deep empathy as well as regular people address their own situations. Recently a letter was emailed to all teachers in our high school a forewarning of budget cuts to come. Teachers tend to be the front line in compassion for many children and yet those of us who are passionate about what we do continue to be asked to do more. I spent much of the previous weekend trying to contact a family about an annual IEP meeting for their child. Last night I received a text from one of the parent’s accidently texting me a note meant for the other parent and found why so often I use the term in harm’s way. Harm is an interesting word. In harm’s way and being placed in harm’s way was bantered about numerous times as politicians do and today I will use it again. Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in our hearts and to always give thanks.

namaste

bird