Compassion – Page 2

Eps 83: How To Prevent Street Violence

December 6, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

I heard myself shouting “COME HERE THEN! HEY, COME BACK!” He didn’t but if he had stopped I would have given him a 75%-80% chance of being punched in the face.

I share this because I find it a telling example of how little it takes to create a violent situation, even when in a peaceful country like Holland and with a peaceful guy like me. It was not only that I wanted to teach this jerk a lesson but also he had become a symbol of all anti-social behavior. Too many people shouted in my face and got away with it. This guy represented the whole category to me and I had reached my breaking point.

Eps 82: I Can’t Breathe

December 4, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon 1 Comment

Injustice is so incredibly hard to swallow. Reading Eric Garner’s last words make you realize that this was a desperate human being who reached his breaking point. He was tired of the harassment; he just wanted to be left alone. At the same time he couldn’t find the tolerance in his heart to cooperate. Humiliated one time too many, his need for dignity was stronger than his fear of a beating. He appealed to the humanity of the police officers, hoping that if he dropped his mask, they would drop theirs.

Eps 80: Germany Is Mourning The Loss Of A Brave Young Woman

December 3, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Germany is mourning as they have lost a hero and a role model. Thousands of Germans paid tribute Sunday to a young woman who was beaten to death trying to stop a group of men harassing two teenage girls in a McDonald’s restroom. There is a Jewish saying: “Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe”. In the Buddhist tradition we have the Bodissatvah Vows, where the practitioners vows to save all sentient beings and attain enlightenment for the sake of helping others. From that perspective Tugce has lead a very meaningful life and set a beautiful example.

Eps 78: What Andre Agassi’s Comeback Can Teach You About Finding Your Purpose

November 30, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Andre Agassi started exploiting the talent he was famous for in a different, more selfless way. I think this is an inspiring answer for people who struggle with their role in the world. Some of my participants of the 100 Day Warrior start to doubt the meaning of their work. It feels senseless. But I don’t think we should devaluate our talents. Instead we should figure out how we can help others with our talents.

Eps 75: Warriors In Unexpected Places

November 27, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Warriors are a rare species but you can find them everywhere. Sometimes they show up, and it doesn’t matter if this is in the ghetto or a posh school, if it is a dude or a lady, if the color of his skin is black or white, or if he is young or old. Not every warrior is as eloquent as the other but when you meet a person who gets it you will recognise him if you had some practice.

Eps 62: Why It Is Good To Bow

November 14, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

When you reflect on the concept of bowing I think it becomes quite clear how little bowing there is in our lives. There is a lot of resisting. We resist change, we resist influence, we even resist obviously good things like love, tenderness, open-heartedness and vulnerability. For our stubbornness is quite often not really serving us it is a good idea to learn to bow.

Eps 60: Thích Nhất Hạnh Is (Not Yet) Leaving Us

November 13, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Moments ago the sad but touching news reached me that Thích Nhất Hạnh is passing away. He is still in is body but he is on his way out. This is sad news for us but also beautiful because he is 88 years old, lead a wonderful life and is surrounded by his closest students who he has been training for many years to be completely present with him in this very moment. We don’t have to feel sad for this beautiful Buddha, he is well prepared and ready, but for mankind it will be a great loss.

Eps 58: Don’t Be Afraid Of Heavy Things. Just Lift It!

November 11, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Walking away from something because it is too heavy is not a very brave thing to do. One of the teachings of the 100 Day Warrior is to not walk away from heavy things. This is where the gym serves as our real life metaphor. You don’t walk away from something heavy! You lift it! And then you feel awesome! You never feel desperate after lifting something heavy. You feel like you conquered something, you feel a sense of achievement and liberation. It feels good.

Eps 55: A Black Wolf In Need Of A Bitch Slap

November 8, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon 1 Comment

Somebody stole my work. I was wondering if I should write about it. In a way it is kind of flattering when people like what you write so much that they want to publish it on their own website. Most of the time I don’t care. But in this case there is a particularly distasteful and hypocritical aspect to it. I want that to be known, seen and changed for the sake of integrity.

Eps 43: Why Ruthless Compassion Is Needed

October 26, 2014 By Atalwin Pilon Leave a Comment

Many of us think that compassion is synonymous with being friendly and don’t see how their friendliness is motivated by fear. We believe that we can’t be “mean” or “rude” to others, even if this means supressing our own needs and feelings. We let our boundaries be violated because we like to be a good person so badly. In reality, true compassion has nothing to do with being nice and everything to do with doing the right thing for ourselves and others. And when your compassion is not completely honest, it is not compassion but a lie.

Are you ready to become a Warrior?