“Compassion is the greatest form of love that humans have to offer.” These words were spoken by Rachel Scott, the first student brutalized in the Columbine High School shootings of April 1999. And she wasn’t kidding. In fact, the original Greek word for compassion is splagcnizomai, meaning “moved from the inward parts.” An authentic act of compassion comes from the center of who you are -- from a radically changed heart. I think that this is what makes compassion so special. It isn’t superficial or self-seeking. It’s an utter out-pour of overflowing joy and grace from the bottom of your heart. Like a wildfire, it consumes everything in its path, from blades of grass to lofty trees. Like a river, it cleanses and rejuvenates everything it washes over, from grains of sand to cutting stones. Even when its effects are not automatic, compassion is unstoppable. It’s a chain reaction.
I wish I could say that compassion is the empowering force behind everything I do. But unfortunately, it’s not. I’m a selfish, imperfect human. It is, however, my ultimate goal. I want to live my life knowing that I have loved people from a movement of the inward self. When I leave this Earth one day -- hopefully many, many years from now -- I want people to look back on my life and say, “Wow, that girl’s life was changed from the inside out. And it was really evident in the way she treated those around her, from her closest friends to her most relentless persecutors.” And ultimately, I want them to be pointed to the consummate act of compassion that has changed me so deeply -- the display of undeserved love on the cross that has given me the power to live freely.
If untainted compassion is the goal toward which we strive, we must not attempt to change, but we must allow ourselves to be changed by the love that others offer to us. We were loved when we were unlovable, we are loved when we are unlovable, and we will be loved, no matter how unlovable we become. This incredible truth shouldn’t just give us a warm fuzzy feeling. It shouldn’t just compel us to do good deeds halfheartedly or give insincere compliments to those with whom we cross paths. It should swell inside of us like a storm cloud waiting to burst. It should burst. It should hit us like a hurricane that destroys what was never built to stand -- our pride, fear and indifference. When this hurricane has come through, we should not be the same. We should stand on a new foundation of hope, faith and love. This foundation should become the center of who we are, the root of our splagcnizomai -- our compassion.
Now that I’ve made everything sound all beautiful and poetic, I’ll let you in on a little truth: being compassionate is not easy. Having compassion for others is one thing. Displaying it is another. Displaying it when it is not reciprocated is even harder. Nothing kills me more than extending my hand to someone I love and watching them turn away. That hurts. So much.
There are days when I feel so burned out because I’m doing everything in my human power to make the world a more positive place when torrents of negativity overwhelm me. I come to the conclusion that I should just give in and give up. I’m too young to change the world anyway, right? And being nice is overrated, right? I should just focus on myself and let everyone else solve their own problems.
But then the seed of compassion planted deep within my soul pokes its head out from the darkened soil. I see the suffering and brokenness around me. I realize that hatred and deceit will not fix anything. Nor will my fear of going out and making a difference. Only compassion. Only love gets the last word in the end. Keeping this in mind, I muster up the strength to believe that even the smallest act of compassion will start a chain reaction. And honestly, I find myself a little bit addicted to loving people and all the pain it might inflict. Every once in a blue moon, I see the chain reaction working like dominoes; each one falls down in surrender to a force greater than itself, with much credit to the domino behind it.
As you continue on your journey, let me leave you with a few last words from Rachel Scott: “I have this theory, that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, a chain reaction will begin of the same.”
Don’t be afraid. This kind of chain reaction has the power to change the world, but will it change you?
