embracing shared humanity (revised)
TRANSCRIPT
Embracing Shared Common Humanity
Photo by Astronaut, Chris Hadfield
Embracing Shared Humanity
Recognition of a basic sameness… the aspiration for happiness and the wish not to suffer
We are all interconnected & interdependent
Compassion is, by definition, relational.
Self-compassion recognizes suffering is part of the shared human experience.
Empathy- the Building Block of Compassion
Two qualities necessary for healthy empathic concern and compassion-
First: Self-awareness. Sense, feel, recognize what is happening in the body/mind, as we encounter the suffering.
Somatic sensitivity mirrors the process by which we
sense the experience of another
Positive regard for others, kindness, and awareness form a basis for empathic concern and compassion
-The Precious Necessity of Compassion (2011) Joan Halifax, PhD
How to Engender Compassion?
Second: In order to cultivate a healthy empathic concern, we must be able to differentiate between self and other
Otherwise the physiological activation of shared experience can lead to burnout, secondary trauma or moral distress.
An appropriate and transformative relationship to suffering is through mindful self-awareness, the regulation of our emotions and the awareness of our common humanity
Joan Halifax identities three common fear responses: fight (moral outrage), flight (abandonment), or freeze (numbing).
Empathy and Compassion
Empathic Attunement
Facing your Partner, Begin by closing your eyes and focusing on the Breath
BELL
Open eyes and silently acknowledge your partners presence
One partner shares something they are having great difficulty with; disappointed or sadden by.
The other person listens and imaginatively lives through the expereince being shared
BELL
Simply Thank your partner
In Group Bias & Empathy
Common Humanity at Work?
How We DeHumanize
Just Like Me
Take-Aways
Social brains are primed for both empathy and in-group bias
Holding Opposites: both are true, we are empathetic and we dehumanize
Empathic responses depend on multiple processes, including self-regulation and
person-categorization
Common humanity
Practice of Common HumanityAcknowledge own desire for happiness and freedom from suffering.
Bring to mind friend/loved one, stranger/neutral person, and “difficult” person.
Reflect on each person’s common humanity. “Just like me, this person wishes to be happy and free from suffering.”
Think of all these people and how common humanity connects you all.
Informal Practice
During your everyday activities, consciously notice someone, a friend, a stranger… and silently wish for them May you be happy, well, free of fear, and at ease
When encountering a difficult person, think that “Just Like Me, this person wishes to be happy and not to suffer”