2025 : A Year of Compassion in Review<\/p>\n
I doubt it surprises much of anyone at this point to establish 2025 has been a challenging year, full of needless conflict caused primarily by authoritarians seizing power backed by capitalists who can buy up the remains for pennies on the dollar; their base continuously pumped full of fear and anger to keep them moving the goalposts and avoid focusing on the real problems.\u00a0 If anyone, having watched the ‘maga’ crowd make constant excuses for either their behavior (*1) or the behavior of those they voted for, still doubts the dangers of tribalism (*2), I question their desire to act in good faith.<\/p>\n
When I sat down to meditate in front of the proverbial mirror, my initial thoughts were along the lines of “I performed poorly” in regard to practicing compassion this year.\u00a0 It wasn’t until I attempted to write about my disappointment in myself this year I realized I was erroneous.\u00a0 I have *a lot* of room to improve in several areas, but I was actually more compassionate than the credit I initially gave myself.<\/p>\n
In terms of compassion toward others, I did reasonably well in choosing when and where to engage.\u00a0 In other words, I practiced ‘Silence as Compassion.’\u00a0 I have a better understanding not just of where my limits are but also of whether something is worth the investment of time and energy.\u00a0 To that end, I sent over 24,500 Discord messages this year \u2013 an average of over 67 a day.\u00a0 For the people I do choose to engage with regularly, I practiced ‘Availability and Consistency as Compassion.’\u00a0 I didn’t turn anyone away, and I’ve done much better at being present with people in need with minimal judgment.<\/p>\n
Additionally, I’ve been incredibly successful at practicing ‘Validation as Compassion.’\u00a0 I’ve helped people develop identities, let go of past ‘stuck points,’ refine and strengthen existing paths without making them about me (*3), and point people toward a potentially better path when they reach exhaustion with their current failing path.\u00a0 I’ve been able to do this often through example, as well as through my writings and conversations.\u00a0 I’ve become a bit of a place wherein people do not feel a need to wear their masks anymore, and I am grateful.<\/p>\n
It isn’t just compassion toward others I’ve improved upon, but self-compassion as well.\u00a0 For starters, I was able to re-examine my stance on my overseas past.\u00a0 I’ve found a measure of peace: while those activities were tragic, I can stop trying to assume blame, which isn’t mine to take.\u00a0 I kept trying to judge my teenage\/young adult self by the skills and experience I have now \u2013 mistakenly thinking I had them back then as well, instead of understanding how I’ve developed into who I am over a long time and much struggle.\u00a0 I also felt responsible for decisions made *way* above my paygrade; I felt my ability to operate within or resist them was the same as it is now, which is untrue.\u00a0 While I will never be ‘ok’ with what happened, I can also stop punishing myself at every turn because of it.<\/p>\n
In another improvement in self-compassion, I was able to practice ‘Rest as Compassion’ much more successfully.\u00a0 I’ve let myself put some things down, as well as let myself not be under a constant pressure to ‘do’ (force) things.\u00a0 I know I’ll get things done when I’m able, and I’ve been able to let go of ‘everything is urgent,’ which is a swift path to burnout.\u00a0 In doing so, I’ve also quieted my mind substantially, no longer just overthinking everything to the point I’m thinking about my thoughts \u2013 a.k.a.\u00a0 the mental chatter in our minds that serves little purpose beyond a point.\u00a0 Zen has a teaching called ‘Ordinary Mind’ which simply tells you to eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, walk when you’re energetic, etc.\u00a0 There is no need to value-judge every action; just be.<\/p>\n
In developing a greater sense not just of what compassion is, but also of why it’s essential to a better life, I’ve come up with an idea: The Four Stages of Life.<\/p>\n
When I think about the obstacles preventing me from being even more skillful at practicing compassion, I have learned I am still attached to too many things not contributing positively to my daily life.\u00a0 It is with that in mind my focus for 2026 is ‘A Year of Release,’ in which I aim to genuinely let go of things (including feelings and memories), taking away from my ability to be internally peaceful rather than contributing.\u00a0 I have a complicated road ahead of me but I feel ready to attempt it.<\/p>\n
Be Compassionate; You Are Worth It!<\/p>\n
reBLUEvinate!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(*1) We see a lot of ‘I didn’t vote for this’ despite much of what is happening being precisely promised during the campaign trail.\u00a0 It matters little whether it was ignorance, malice, or apathy that led them to vote for someone who openly promised destruction (and already had an *awful* first term), but we are getting the days they voted for.<\/p>\n
(*2) Politics being treated as ‘team sports’ to this degree is beyond dangerous.\u00a0 While the Democrats are far from perfect, I have seen no significant movement to protect *anyone* regardless of their party affiliation from Epstein-related consequences, as an example.\u00a0 It’s another instance of the adage ‘Democrats (need to) fall in love, Republicans fall in line.’\u00a0 However, just falling in line and dehumanizing the ‘other’ is just a tool for those in power to seize more of it and use it maliciously.<\/p>\n
(*3) I don’t tend to make things about me in general, but I’ve gotten a lot better at knowing when to add a “me too!” comment vs. when to listen and not include myself at all.<\/p>\n
(*4) Virtually no parent wants their kid gunned down at a school, being unable to afford housing, going bankrupt getting sick or injured, or staring down the barrel of climate change, and yet where is the will to make it happen?\u00a0 Why are Education Cuts considered a fear of people?\u00a0 Only those afraid of a healthy, educated, mobile populace want cuts – everyone else wants the tools to succeed, regardless of what their individual definition of success is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
2025 : A Year of Compassion in Review I doubt it surprises much of anyone at this point to establish 2025 has been a challenging year, full of needless conflict caused primarily by authoritarians seizing power backed by capitalists who can buy up the remains for pennies on the dollar; their base continuously pumped full […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[334],"class_list":["post-29151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mindfulness-journey","tag-334"],"yoast_head":"\n