Discomfort Equals Growth
I remember talking to a friend some years ago and recognizing how far away from kindness, we have come in our culture.
This friend is exceptionally wealthy and lives with his partner in Washington, D.C. He has a younger brother, and at times, his brother has struggled to make a lot of money.
I recall my friend saying to me he felt guilty because his brother could not afford health insurance, yet he paid someone twice a week to do acupuncture for his dogs.
Years later, this conversation haunts me a little, and I see his response in a different light than I did at the time. I also see my role by not saying anything as vitally lacking in thoughtfulness.
These two brothers get along fine, but the one with the wealth could not bring himself to help because he had made judgments about his younger brother's life choices.
There is this belief that people who make choices other than those we would make somehow deserve the life they have.
We overlook the addict on the corner, the vet holding the sign up, our family members who struggle with finances, or holding jobs.
I don't know how as a society got here, and I recognize that I am part of the problem.
I am not always kind, generous in my thoughts, or with money.
However, daily I work to build seeds of kindness in myself through certain practices, but I am not where I want to be.
“Reaching towards the uncomfortable places and not feeling threatened by the people who expose them in us is growth.
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This type of growth is hard, and fear is found in most of us when it comes to being financially or spiritually generous with people we don't understand.
What steps can you make to move towards a place of greater understanding and compassion?
Do you have a practice where you lean into excavating kindness every day?
If we as individuals and then collectively intentionally worked on allowing grace to seep into where our egos guard our hearts, what could change?
Come in and join the conversation to see if you can shift how you feel towards people that make you uncomfortable.
Free Somatic Therapy consultations always available.
Greed, like the love of comfort, is a kind of fear.