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A Homeless Indigenous Man's Compassion

He may well be the most compassionate person I've ever met, because an hour with Bradley (yes, that's his real name) transformed my perception of compassion.

He inspired me as he shared with me his past, having been a victim of the stolen generations. Yet, a litany of things were stolen from him, even to the present day. Rage would certainly be understandable, and the seeking of vengeance, too. But Bradley knew there was no point to such responses of pride. He even said that he must watch his pride, for in that is fuel for the wrong decision.

In the background of his person are his ancestors, the elders of his land, and his family members. He is not one person, but the fullest representation of his people. He spoke a lot about the warrior, an-eye-for-an-eye tribal justice, and the potency of his people should they wish to fight an oppression that continues today. But he said the desire for multiculturalism burned within him.

I could tell he saw into people and could feel others' pain.

He showed me that compassion given makes people bigger; received it makes people better. He regularly referred to his gift, and before we finished chatting I said his gift was compassion. He heartily agreed. His compassion, for all he had personally suffered, had made him a bigger person.

This is what Bradley taught me about compassion:

Compassion sprouts out of a seedbed of soil fertile with suffering where humble responses abide.

Compassion emerges when negative responses to suffering are futile, where despair is not an option. His suffering and the suffering of his people are constant as much as it is real.

Neither anger nor despair are an option, for his entire person is a nation. He cannot afford to capitulate. So, what happens when we're forced to hope in the context of suffering? Life opens our eyes, we see truth with clarity, experience grace aboundingly, and we see more readily others in their suffering.

Steve Wickham holds Degrees in Science, Divinity, and Counselling. Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/



 By Steve Wickham


Article Source: A Homeless Indigenous Man's Compassion

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