Perspective

True compassion demands stepping out of my perspective and trying to understand the perceptions of others from their own perspectives. As I hear the current debates about the National Deficit in the U.S., I do not hear compassion. I hear the ongoing narcissism of the wealthy and inhumane.

Our politicians live luxurious lives. They fly nationally and internationally without being hassled at airport check points. They stay in nice hotels. They are wined and dined by special interests. Yet they whine about long hours and the hard work of legislation. They are not even doing a good job at that.

When the world is your playground, it is hard to be compassionate. The wealthy normalize their lives to rationalize their selfishness and greed. They publicize their diseases and divorces. They melodramatically act out their losses in front of cameras. They create personal myths to justify their privilege.

The perspective of the poor is much different. The world is not a playground for the poor. The world is a coal mine or a trash collection truck. The world is a daily awakening to a growling stomach and panic over what to do to avoid worse suffering. There is no easy access to help of any kind when you are poor. The myth of the American welfare state is a cynical political ploy, not a reality.

I have been poor. I have been comfortable financially.  I have not been affluent. The glimpses I have had of the affluent have not improved my opinion of them. Wealth breeds narcissism and selfishness. It is unavoidable in a world where affluence is power over others. It is unavoidable in a world which is economically unjust. 

As a practicing humanist, I am constantly examining my perspective as it is influenced by my environment, which includes my socioeconomic environment. Rather than practicing check-writing charity, the self-absolution of the wealthy, I try to practice compassion with personal action. Rather than donning a T-shirt and marching for money in a corporately managed walk for a cause, I maintain my readiness to act in any given moment mindfully, compassionately and generously with strangers as well as loved ones. This is not easy. It requires constant practice and effort. If I were rich, I suppose I might hire someone to do it for me. That would not be the same practice.