Mandatory Compassion [Violin Motif Sketch, original by Ian Tran]
Channel: IanTranSend
Date: 2013-01-22

What's the difference between compassion and love?  When does compassion become mandatory, and then insufficient on its own, for good character?  I started exploring those questions through this tune and the stories behind it.

Willie (in reply to a complement about him as a tremendously compassionate person): "Ian, I appreciate that.  I'll humbly accept that, but in some ways I didn't have a choice--you know how my life's been..."

Some people become notably extraordinary in response to or as a product of profound circumstance and exposure.  Willie went to prison three times, and started turning his life around through his determination to be who he knew he was capable of becoming--a better person and an artist.  He ended his addiction to drugs and later earned his GED, then a college degree, ran 3 Detroit Free Press marathons, and worked at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wellness Center for a little over 20 years before retiring early to live the wisdom he preaches and pursue his art with greater focus.

Willie has been a mentor to me and a champion of me and my creative endeavors.  I learned so much about compassion and artistry from him in the past year.  Willie attributes the magnitude of his compassion in large part to his experiences--including his wrongdoings. Though I could say there's a fair amount of credit due to his character and commitment too.  His life story's tremendous, and I wish more people have met him or can spend time with him to learn about it firsthand.

However, through his reply to my appreciation for what he does and how he lives, I realized he noted a distinction in gauging one's character: there's more to being and becoming a great person than just meeting circumstance with magnanimous compassion.  Perhaps actively seeking opportunity to help others becomes the next distinguishing gradation in our humanity.  While it's something both Willie and I do, the extent of which that it happens as a regular basis is something new for me to focus on.  Not necessarily because I didn't care about or didn't do it before, but because I hadn't seen life with this degree of definition until I meditated over Willie's reply.

Another question arises about actively helping others: at what point do we let another person be as they are?

Perhaps it behooves us to examine a maxim of life I suspect many try to live by:  be as you are unless you yourself find compelling reason to change.  Yet what does this maxim say about our relationship with other people?  A distinction and balance exists between seeking--active, and intentional form of aid--to help and helping as an outcome of a reactive/passive or perhaps something simply receptive to opportunity.

I'm still exploring this concept, and I've also titled a new piece that's in its early stages as "Mandatory Compassion" based on this conversation.  I welcome your thoughts and stories too!

Start 9 I 2013, # 12:24 pm 18 I 2013