Shared Humanity

The clinical research on compassion and self-compassion consistently shows that to be compassionate with others and with ourselves, we must be able to recognize a shared human experience among all human beings. We know what it is like to be human, by the very fact that we are human ourselves.

But this is easy to forget when we are frustrated with someone or hold different political views or get cut off in traffic.

Every human being longs for the same things: to feel safe, to be loved, feel a sense of achievement, and know that they matter to someone.

Every person you know fundamentally wants the same things you do. We have so much in common because we know how hard life can be. We all want to know we are lovable. We all want to know we can accomplish something. We all want to feel safe. We all want freedom and opportunity. We all want to feel significant.

Next time you find yourself really irritated with someone, imagine that their heart is beating, just like yours. Their lungs are expanding with each breath, just like yours. Their body aches and is aging, just like yours. They have a complex and complicated brain, just like yours. They see the same full moon right now that you do.

We all laugh, cry, wonder, forget, worry, doubt, fear, grieve, and hope. Chances are, that at any given moment, over ten million people on the planet feel exactly the same way you do. Think about that, the thing you are going through right now....someone on the other side of the globe is experiencing the very same thing.

Being human is hard, and 8 billion people are alive on this planet right now having a human experience just like you are.

We are all trying to figure out what it means to be human.
We are all making our best guess.
We are all hoping we get it right.

This is our journey and I am glad you and I are on it together.
Much love,
Ginger