Compassion is one of the most noble acts of humanity; it's an emotional response done towards another individual going through one difficulty or another, and in my opinion, it's an unmerited favor we get from others out of their good heart for humanity. One of the things that makes compassion more is because, unlike sympathy and empathy, it is deeply rooted in understanding of the person's situation and showing kindness to alleviate their ordeals. I've on several occasions been shown compassion, and I've reciprocated the same to others, not just because I want to show off, but because I understand their plight and the need to change the situation for good.
We all at one point or another find ourselves in one challenge or another that can make us lose hope, but with a simple act of compassion melted towards us, our situation will be turned around, and we'll begin to experience life differently. We as humans need to cultivate and adopt this feeling because we're all we've got to sail through life's challenges.
I remember during my undergraduate days at the university, things weren't always easy; in fact, there were several days I went for lectures without having anything to eat for days, but then on a few occasions, some of my hostel mates would, out of compassion, know something was wrong, and out of their good will, you'd see one of them knock on my door and give me some of their meals. I never expected such, and as I don't approach any of them to plead for help, I can't help but be overwhelmed with happiness about such a gift coming at the nick of time.
These things happen on several occasions, and I'm always grateful because I can't help but wonder what my fate would be without such, and just like them, I've also been compassionate to those around me. The way some humans behave towards us, it's as though they're secretly angels clothed in human form, and just like I've enjoyed compassion from others, I've also shown the same to those around me, and one of such instances is as stated below.
Back then, during the COVID period, when I still worked at a factory in Kano State, Nigeria, I used to have a young boy, about the age of 18 or 19, who worked under my supervision, and as we all know, a lot of people lost their jobs during the mandatory stay-at-home policy; among those who lost their job at my place of work was the person who housed this boy prior to the lockdown.
But since we worked at a manufacturing company, we were still allowed to operate, and few of us were retained to keep working; among those retained was this boy, who, after the sacking of his previous helper, was maltreated at home. He had to move out of the house and was sleeping at the factory, which was against company policy, but then when I discovered and heard his story, I was moved with compassion and decided to let him move in with me.
Despite the huge language barrier between us, I didn't let that stop me from helping him solve the problem at hand because if he continued to stay in the factory and the organization found out about it, he'd be relieved of his duty, and that was how he stayed with me, even a year after COVID.
He was still at my place, staying for free, and when I wanted to quit my job and move back to Lagos State, I left him with the room despite the fact that I still have about 7 months of rent, and the landlord was willing to pay me off, so he'll rent out the place to someone else.
The compassion I had for him was what kept inspiring me to show him kindness, which, even though I had to pay another agreement fee to the landlord out of my own pocket when he kept insisting that I'm the one he made an agreement with and not the boy.
Overall, that's the beauty of compassion: we literally go to different lengths just so we can help those undergoing tough times, and it's my prayer that everyone going through tough times will receive compassion and that those compassionate to others will receive help in everything they lay their hands on.
All photos are mine.
Posted Using INLEO
