Awareness


If we had an infinite amount of knowledge, everything that we did, every word we said, and every communication we had with another person would be perfect, correct, and progressing humanity toward peaceful ends.  But this is not the case, and it never will be.  Even with the advent and exponential growth of the internet we are only human.  However, being human is still wonderful and filled with potential. The key is awareness. 
If you have ever accidentally hurt someone's feelings, then you have thought or maybe even had to explain later, "Oh, I wasn't thinking." This common phrase is more than a colloquialism.  It is true.  You weren't thinking.  Perhaps at that moment feelings took over, or the ego, or maybe it was just a matter of momentum.  Words literally flew from your mouth before you could edit them.
So if we are to think, feel, and live at the same time, how can we do this?  Many methods exist with the same goal.  At their very base lies the same techniques as well.  Meditation or deep relaxation is the starting point.  To further develop or level of empathy and compassion, step two is to find the compassion you have for those closest to you, your mother or another loved one, for example.  And, of course, you must find love for yourself.
From this center you can then extend that sensation to other friends, then strangers, and finally to "enemies."  With a strongly developed ability for compassion, you can never not think.  You are always aware that other people are literally interconnected with you and your happiness.  You find it imperative to treat them as if your happiness depended on it, because it does.

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