At one of our Peacemaker Forums not long ago, SIYLI CEO Rich Fernandez spoke with New York Times bestselling author and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg about moving through the turmoil in the world with compassion.
Salzberg encourages us to love everybody. Yes, everybody. But how can we love everybody? Where do we find love for difficult situations and people who disagree with us? And how can we love ourselves and quit spinning, especially considering the toxic stew of current events?
The hardest thing is wanting to love everybody, explains Salzberg, “which means having a different understanding of love. It starts with loving ourselves. It’s loving something in ourselves that is intact, no matter what, and realizing that’s in our own hands and can’t be destroyed by somebody else, no matter what they do.”
Salzberg reminds us, “If people truly loved themselves, they would not harm others. It [harming others] comes from a place of disconnection. As human beings, we’re capable of greatness.”
But remember compassion isn’t about just being agreeable or nice. It requires conscious effort, empathy and patience. In the words of Salzburg, “Nobody gets an instant result.”
Expand your capacity for love—watch the full conversation.