#55

Welcome to Weekly Whisper #55.

Comprehension isn’t required for compassion

It was my birthday last week – thank you for all the best wishes. I remember reading about an idea that you should have a birthday when you learn something significant. I’ve learnt something significant.

I was introduced to a podcast called Man Enough by my daughter. I’d enjoyed a few episodes and was encouraged to listen to the conversation with Alok. OMG! I was touched by what they said at the end of almost every sentence. There were so many mic drop moments that I won’t do justice to possibly any of them.

One that struck me the most at the time was 'comprehension isn’t required for compassion'. Our need to understand someone’s story or background or trauma isn’t really required in order for us to show and demonstrate compassion. We don’t really need to understand what someone is carrying to acknowledge the weight. We’ve become ourselves uniquely. Noone has experienced how you’ve become you.

Alok’s idea that comprehension isn’t required for compassion is simple and yet challenging. It’s not about liking everyone or agreeing with everyone but about creating space and an environment where any one of us is able to live a life free from violence and hate.

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What part of yourself do you have to hide in order to survive in this world?

Another mic drop moment in the podcast. We all hide parts of ourselves – sometimes for necessity, sometimes from fear, sometimes from shame, sometimes from a lack of awareness and sometimes even from compassion – for them and/or ourselves. There’s no shame in making a choice to hide something for a particular reason.

Over time, I wonder whether that part that is hidden remains hidden and unexpressed or we can find an environment where it can see the light of day or night?

 
Question of the week: Do you know who you are outside of who you have been told you should be?

And another one. The answer probably sits inside though. ‘Who are you?’ is such a simple question that can be answered at so many levels. Who are you? – I’m Pete. Who are you? – I’m a father, husband, friend etc. Who are you? – I’m a Scot from Edinburgh. Who are you? - I’m the imperfect integration of every experience I’ve been through.

And the options go on and on. Perhaps considering the second part of the question – who have you been told you should be? – might help AN answer come to light.

Quote of the week: "What we need is to have a world where all of us are free from violence and hate in the midst of being and becoming ourselves"

That would be my wish if I were President or PM for the day. Being and becoming ourselves is hard enough without having to push through the energy behind violence and hate.

 
Did you miss last week's Freedom Fridays Podcast with Shane Michael Hatton?

An exploration of what freedom means. Through a series of conversations with experts and leaders in their field, we explore some of the ways we can be free from whatever is holding us back. We’ll share some of the ingredients – easy, hard, and almost impossible.

The lessons are hiding in open sight within the conversation – it’s up to you how you apply them.

Episode #50 with Shane Michael Hatton

In episode #50 I chat with Shane Michael Hatton a speaker, author, trainer and coach who blends his experience in business and psychology to help leaders communicate, connect and collaborate more effectively in order to bring out the best in those they lead.

We have an in-depth conversation around personal rulebooks - the conscious and unconscious rules that we live our lives by. We take a deep dive into what business culture really is - how leaders define culture, how businesses are governed by their establishment of culture, and the possibilities of culture change.

Let me know if you're enjoying the new season of Freedom Fridays. Please send me an email if you have a recommendation for upcoming guests - [email protected].

That's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed Weekly Whisper #55.

Feedback is my fuel so if you have any comments please hit reply and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers

Pete