What's Your Story?

"In seperateness lies the world's great misery, in compassion lies the world's true strength." -Buddha

I am an avid people watcher, especially when I am visiting a new place. For some reason I am simply fascinated by the variety of individuals that I meet in public. Most of the time I am pretty good about not staring, but I give people the once-over and often ask myself, "I wonder what his story is?" Because everyone has a story, a series of circumstances and choices that made them who they are. And, of course, everyone's story is still unfolding, so as I pass them and see their expressions of sadness or indifference or excitement I wonder what challenges they are facing or what new things are happening in their lives.

While I was at the airport recently a shuttle driver took me to the parking lot where I had left my vehicle. As we drove he talked to me and told jokes. He was quite entertaining, and when I got off the shuttle I gave him a generous tip. I'm not saying that to brag, because I am hardly an authority on human compassion. For every moment where I've paid attention to someone's needs and reached out to them there are probably two or three where I just kept walking or chose to ignore the stirrings inside me that prompted me to act another way. But sometimes I get it right, and those are the things I want to write about.

By nature none of us is perfect; to be human is to be enigmatic. We all believe something that we don't practice, at least some of the time, and we all have weaknesses that oppose our strengths. Some may see this as lamentable, but I think God designed us this way on purpose. We need each other precisely because of those weaknesses, because others can make up for what we lack. Without weaknesses we would never learn to rely on God; we would never learn to trust Him or have faith in Him because we simply wouldn't need Him. Sadly, many people choose this path of independence and find ways to keep their weaknesses hidden--sometimes even from themselves. But the natural state of human existence is connectedness, and that requires an acknowledgment of our own weaknesses so we can fully accept and embrace the weaknesses of others, though sometimes those weaknesses will cause us harm.

Human compassion cannot be learned from a book or web site. Perhaps those sources could stir feelings or provide a window into someone else's suffering or humanitarian efforts. But real human compassion must be practiced to be learned; it requires us to reach out and try to bless the lives of those around us. I have found that it is very easy to give the gift of wealth, to write a check and feel good about having done something to make the world a better place. While many can benefit from such efforts, to truly feel compassion also requires a donation of time. For only in being with those whom we desire to help, only in serving them directly can we truly begin to understand them.

Everyone has a story that, if written, would occupy volumes. Sometimes I judge others, sometimes I question their motives and disagree with their views. But if I took the time to truly understand them, to learn their stories ... perhaps I would reserve that judgment for a higher authority.