Reply #27: It is overwhelming, juajen....

[OneGrassRoot]

It really is.

:cry:

So much suffering all over from natural disasters to what seems like an extreme degree.

And, of course, the ongoing, long-term suffering of so many on a daily basis living in poverty, living with sickness, etc.

:cry:

I stumbled upon a quote yesterday in "The 12 Steps of Compassion" that hit me as I considered the overwhelming suffering all around:

Those who have persistently trained themselves in the art of compassion manifest new capacities in the human heart and mind; they discover that when they reach out consistently toward others, they are able to live with the suffering that inevitably comes their way with more serenity, kindness and creativity.

I liken this to the one bit of advice I consistently offer my daughter: Do your best.

If we do our best -- allowing for times when we don't, but then commit to do our best the next time -- and do something no matter how trivial it seems to us -- it enables us to keep going and not spiral down into hopelessness. We can then keep trying to help and find ways to ease suffering, and maybe erase the cause of certain types of suffering altogether.

Sorry to ramble here...

:hug: