Gary Villamor

The Voice of Compassion Gary Villamor

About The Voice of Compassion, By Gary Villamor. The word "compassion" has become hollowed out and suspect in our generation, it's worn and idealistic. We need a "do-over." We need to trace the root of this idea back to its beginning and see that compassion is a particular way of seeing the world and one another. It is not another word for tolerance or indulgence, but rather, it is the ability to see ourselves in others. Furthermore, this humble perspective encourages us to be kind, empathetic, forgiving, hospitable, and gracious, rather than judgmental, suspicious and fault-finding. It is to practice the "Golden Rule." Extremism is on the rise, but it doesn't have to be this way. We are facing the great failure of religion because our faith has gotten stuck in a paradigm of rote and perfunctory thoughts, devoid of vision and soul. As a result, many people have lost interest in religion altogether. Are you willing to dream and act audaciously? What if we put our emphasis on compassion, coexistence, and kindness? What if we put all our energy into making ourselves compatible with our neighbors and living in peace, rather than dividing ourselves further into groups of "us" and "them." It's time we stand united against those who misuse the Word of God as a directive for hate, violence, and a platform for judgmentalism and injustices. Let's work together to produce a better world, not just for ourselves, but for all of humankind.