Q. Why is sympathy not the highest?
A. There are varying ways of relateding to the challenging situation of another.
Pity is the grossest state of self-identification with another’s pitiful state. When you pity another, it is like finding someone in quicksand. You want to help the other, so you step into the quicksand to pull the other out, and both of you are lost.
Sympathy means feeling sorry for another’s condition; and in feeling sorry you are contributing to the sorry condition because you are magnifying sorrow and pity.
Empathy is feeling what the other feels and then letting that guide you to the healing of the pain. Then you choose to look for the healing solution.
Compassion is the highest state of empathy. Compassion is born of love that impels and inspires you to respond constructively. Remember that scripture says Jesus had compassion on the multitude, and he took constructive action by feeding the five thousand.
Love—Higher in evolution even than compassion is to remember that love is always available to heal any limitation or suffering. Such love is based in the understanding that each soul chooses every experience and that love allows total freedom for each to choose whatever is possible and available. Each one’s experience then initiates and promotes growth in self-understanding and empowers one with the development of spiritual discernment to make choices that promote greater well-being, joy, freedom, and creativity.
The nature of love is to express in loving action that promotes mutual well-being and freedom.
Love provides everything because love is the source and fulfillment of everything. Love imparts itself to those who choose to realize ever greater love, and love awaits the call of those who are yet to choose love as the solution to all their problems, needs, and desires.
