Daily Writing Prompt Challenge 03-26-2015
I’d like to propose a daily writing prompt challenge. The original post is here: http://bit.ly/1OzvdTS The prompts come from a book titled More Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations . It consists of daily quotes from various Buddhist writings intended to inspire, to get the reader to think or feel. I wish to express this reaction in writing and hope to motivate others to do so also.
If you’d like to participate, please tag your posts 365DailyPrompt
The prompt for today, March 26, is:
Compassion gives one the strength to harrow the souls of others from the hell they’ve created for themselves and to do so without expectation.
The compassion of a saint, perhaps, but not a flesh-and-blood human being. Or maybe a mother for a child. But this is certainly the exception and not the rule or even particularly common.
What immediately comes to mind, perhaps because of experience, is drug addicts. It’s a hell they’ve certainly created for themselves, which makes it all the sadder. But compassion also extends to those around them. For example, within my extended family, two heroin addicts decided to bring a child into the world. At the time, they were both clean. It didn’t last. The baby’s mother got caught shoplifting with the baby. That was just the beginning. At far as we can tell, there was no abuse, but there was neglect. No question that they love the child, who is now three, but they love heroin more. The father’s sister and her partner (my sister) are adopting the boy.
There is compassion toward the parents, but not enough to let them raise the boy. His well-being outweighs his parents’ need to feel good.
_____
_____
©2015 Denise Longrie
Image Credit » http://pixabay.com/en/entrepreneur-startup-start-up-man-593378/ by StartupStockPhotos
Comments
trufflehunter wrote on March 27, 2015, 12:28 PM
I feel very sorry for the boy. It's a good thing he can have a new start with parents who are not addicts.
1msiduri wrote on March 27, 2015, 3:10 PM
Yes. Sometimes, compassion is a good swift kick in the pants if that's what is best for the other person. Even disciplining a child is sometimes not "nice," but it's what the child needs to learn how to behave. I don't mean brutalizing or even hitting the child, of course. That's abuse. I mean discipline, setting rules and letting the child experience the consequences of breaking those rules.
msiduri wrote on March 27, 2015, 3:13 PM
If they hadn't chosen to raise him, he would have ended up in foster care. The family wouldn't know where he was, how he was doing or any of that. It would have been horrible all around. He has behavioral and developmental problems that I won't specify so raising him won't be easy. It's just sad. Sad that two drug addicts had to lose their child. Sad that they couldn't care for him. But I'm glad he's being raised by loving and capable people.
1msiduri wrote on March 28, 2015, 7:52 AM
I can see that. Ruthless perhaps, but not heartless. I'm not a Buddhist and have never studied Buddhism formally, but I've done some reading. I see no reason not to accept wisdom and beauty regardless of source. I, like most of circle of friends, don't believe, but for my recent wedding I chose a Vivaldi "Gloria" for a recessional simply because it's a beautiful, joyful piece of music.