With a national conversation and negative news stories about the crisis of homelessness on the streets of San Francisco, North Beach Citizens' commitment to our clients grows stronger. As our banners in the community proclaim-Compassion is at the Heart of our Action. What does this really mean? The passage below eloquently represents one of the main tenets of how the staff is guided through our critical work every day on behalf of our unhoused clients.
Compassion vs Pity and Despair
The near enemy of compassion is pity. Instead of feeling the openness of compassion, pity says “Oh, that poor person. I feel sorry for people like that” Pity sees them as different from ourselves. It sets up a separation between ourselves and others, a sense of distance and remoteness from the suffering of others that is affirming and gratifying to the self. Compassion, on the other hand, recognizes the suffering of another as a reflection of our own pain: “I understand this; I suffer in the same way.” It is empathetic, a mutual connection with the pain and sorrow of life. Compassion is shared suffering.
Another enemy of compassion is despair. Compassion does not mean immersing ourselves in the suffering of others to the point of anguish. Compassion is the tender readiness of the heart to respond to one’s own or another’s pain without despair, resentment, or aversion. It is the wish to dissipate suffering. Compassion embraces those experiencing sorrow, and eliminates cruelty from the mind. by Jack Kornfield
Our values in addressing individuals' needs in an atmosphere of trust, integrity, and respect is crucial to our work and to our success. Food, housing, and stability are the essential offerings we provide in partnership with the community.
