With wisdom and compassion, we can thrive and help those around us do the same.
It is said that a bird needs two wings to fly: wisdom and compassion. No bird can fly with only one wing.
Wisdom without compassion is incomplete.
Without compassion, wisdom can be harsh and cold, lacking depth, love, warmth, and connection to others and to the world. A primary example often used is the creation of the atomic bomb, which requires a lot of intelligence but no wisdom.
This type of knowledge is only connected to the mind and its superficiality, whereas wisdom is connected to the heart.
This is one reason why someone may be dismissed when giving advice. Even if it’s good advice, it may not be what is needed at that moment, because it lacks connection. True wisdom includes compassion.
The heart sees what the mind cannot.
Compassion without wisdom is incomplete.
Without wisdom, this type of “compassion” can be acting out of obligation, enabling, self-sacrificing, biased, misplaced sympathy, avoidance of guilt, or is about seeking praise.
All of these lead to feelings of bitterness, resentment, and an overall sense of disempowerment. This type of energy doesn’t help anyone and leaves everyone feeling depleted.
Furthermore, we sometimes try to help people in the way we want to, but it doesn’t work. This can be like trying to force a flower to bloom before it is ready. It isn’t helpful and can be damaging.
With wisdom and compassion, we know when to act and when to leave things alone.
Wisdom teaches us when and how to let go.
Imagine never letting a child walk because you don’t want them to fall. This is not seeing the whole picture. Of course, we don’t want our loved ones to suffer, but by making them dependent on us we dis-empower them.
Sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do is allow others to fall and rise again.
When we act from a place of ego, we are trying to impart our own views and place ourselves as an authority over other people. This is because the ego would have us believe we are superior and know better than everyone else.
Compassion is not biased and includes all beings.
While you may be compassionate toward others, complete compassion includes yourself. In other words, be kind and loving to yourself.
Additionally, our minds may develop biases in our lives based on our experiences. For example, if your family struggled to make ends meet as a child, you may be very aware of the suffering associated with poverty.
So, when you look at someone who has a lot of material wealth, it may be more difficult to have compassion for them because you may miss other forms of suffering.
On the other hand, one may be completely desensitized to another’s pain if they have never experienced it themselves.
Furthermore, we may notice that other people are biased toward us but it harder to see our own biases.
This is how prejudice and judgment can creep into our minds when we are too identified with our mental positions and personal experiences.
With wisdom, we can recognize suffering regardless of the form it takes.
To help others, you must first be strong yourself, and thus it is not selfish to put yourself first.
A common example of this; on a plane, in an emergency, you are instructed to put on your oxygen mask before putting it on your child. This is because if you pass out, you will not be able to help your child.
We cannot neglect ourselves in support of others, it just does not work. We have to be willing to give to ourselves and also be willing to receive help when we need it.
To be clear, it isn’t wrong to be helpful because helpfulness is in our nature. So, turning down someone’s request does not mean you are withholding love and kindness, it just means you can’t or don’t want to do something.
Allow space for this and for yourself, and remember a bird needs two wings to fly.
With wisdom, we can begin to understand that it is okay to say no, to turn down requests, and to remove someone from our lives.
To know others and understand the world, we must first know ourselves.
When we understand ourselves, we begin to connect deeply to all life. Real love, understanding, and insight can then emerge from this self-knowledge.
Compassion is not draining, it is not expecting certain results, it is pure love. It is within our being but it is difficult to have compassion when we ourselves are consumed by suffering.
Wisdom is not conceptual; it arises from the heart which is why it is open and inexhaustible. It is seeing beyond our ego to the oneness of ourselves with all creation.
Deepening in our own self-knowledge and self-love brings forth our wise and compassionate nature.
These two qualities are so entwined that one cannot truly be without the other. With both, we can openly respond to situations without forcing our views on others.
From our own self-understanding, we will no longer need to “try” to understand another being because we will know them in our hearts.
With wisdom and compassion, we will be more attuned to the whole and understand the needs of others because we understand ourselves. Our lives will then become more spacious and vibrant, and this energy will illuminate those around us without having to lift a finger.
If you are looking for a practice to help you deepen further in wisdom and compassion, read this article next: Healing the Mind with Metta Meditation. Metta meditation is a loving-kindness meditation and this article includes a guided meditation you can try today.
With Love,
Ravelle
If you found value in this post, join my email list to get free updates and teachings on meditation, mindfulness, self-discovery, and spiritual healing.