[Ailist] Re: Compassion & Passion

[Anu Parmar]

Very interesting dialogue  as we explore clarity and a deeper understanding
of  these words 'passion' and 'compassion' that we take for granted.

 

For me this is what these words mean:

 

Passion is an all consuming attachment and relationship to an
object/idea/person etc.  It is a narrow or linear focus with a clear duality
- the passionate person and his/her object of passion.  E.g passion for
music, art, science, person.

 

Compassion is 'Community or Common Passion: COM-Passion - meaning the object
of the passion is scoped broadly, with a greater span, all encompassing such
as humanity. Compassion is ME AND ALL (not Me and Mine). Compassion is
multifaceted, multi-dimensional and larger than (one) life.  

 

Passion and compassion require the same attributes of intensity, sacrifice,
determination, energy etc.(tenderness, fierceness and mischievousness - as
per Rob)  but the SCOPE, SCALE AND INTENTION of the two are  different.

 

Great transformative agents Jesus, Gandhi, Mandela and the like were driven
by COM-Passion - and intentionally so.

 

Ground breaking scientists, artists, musicians etc are driven by passion for
their subjects and as a byproduct the world benefits from it -
unintentionally.

 

Compassion by its very nature of being larger and broader than the singular
passion, can but only bring goodness to societies/communities (that's not to
say the process is without turbulence).  As it is all-embracing, it is not a
battle of individual passions outdoing each other and therefore, at anyone's
expense.  Compassion (common or community passion) is like a mother huddling
all her brood of 24 little'uns under her apron - yes, they'll be squeezing,
shuffling, stepping on toes here and there, grabbing but all in all - its
safe, warm and nurturing for every one of them!

 

Anu

 

Anu Parmar

SCA Strategies Inc.

Strategy, Marketing and Business Development

Business and Organization Alignment 

Tel: 905 457 8623   Cell: 647 400 8623

 <mailto:anuparmar at scastrategies.com> anuparmar at scastrategies.com

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu] On Behalf Of Rob Voyle
Sent: 04 March 2008 09:31
To: Roger Davies; ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: [Ailist] Re: Compassion & Passion

 

Hi Roger

 

On 4 Mar 2008 at 8:04, Roger Davies wrote:

 

> In your post below I really like your take on three elements of

> compassion.

> Where did that come from? How does compassion compare with passion?

 

The idea of compassion being made of three qualities/energies of tenderness,


fierceness, and mischievousness came from Stephen Gilligan a student of
Milton 

Erickson.  I think they were originally of Buddhist origins, where the 

understanding is that compassion is the agent of transformation in the
world. In 

Christian circles we would say that love is the agent of transformation,
however 

the word love is used in so many different and often trivial ways that it
loses its 

edge.  

 

What I like about it is it makes compassion more than just a tender caring
of 

those in pain, and can incorporate things like "tough love" saying no to in
justice 

etc. and also explains the "crazy wisdom" of the Buddha, Jesus and other
agents 

of Transformation.

 

I have an article on the three faces of Compassion that can be accessed
from:

http://www.clergyleadership.com/resources/resources.html

 

Passion means to suffer, compassion means to suffer with.

We also use the word passion as you suggest as energy, or powerfully
motivated 

behavior.  I like your idea that passion needs compassion to understand the 

impact on others so that we are really engaged in transforming for the
better the 

lives of others.  Or in the words of Richard Pryor it transforms our
behavior from 

simply being about "just us" to "justice" for all.  

 

What we really need more of in our society is attention to the outcomes and
not 

the intentions of our actions.  Indiscriminant passion, regardless of how
positive 

the intention, can have hugely damaging impacts.  Outcomes must be useful, 

and to be sustainable they must be good for you, for me, and the community
at 

large.  For any blessing that comes to me or you at the expense of someone
else 

is not actually a blessing it is theft. 

 

Rob

  

Robert J. Voyle, Psy.D.

Director, Clergy Leadership Institute

For Coaching and Training in Appreciative Inquiry

Author: Core Elements of the Appreciative Way 

http://www.clergyleadership.com/

503-647-2378 or 503-647-2382

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

The Appreciative Inquiry Discussion List is hosted by the David Eccles
School of Business at the University of Utah. Jack Brittain is the list
administrator. For subscription information, go to:

http://mailman.business.utah.edu:8080/mailman/listinfo/ailist