Imagine walking along a sidewalk with your arms full of groceries, and someone roughly bumps into you so that you fall and your groceries are strewn all over the ground.

As you rise up from the puddle of broken eggs and squashed tomatoes, you are ready to shout out, “You idiot! What’s wrong with you? Are you blind?”

But just before you can catch your breath to speak, you see that the person who bumped into you is, in fact, actually blind.

He, too, is sprawled out in the spilled groceries and is having trouble getting up.

Your anger vanishes in an instant, to be replaced by sympathetic concern: “Are you hurt? Can I help you up?”

Our situation in the world is much like this story.

When we realize that the source of our anger, misery, and disharmony with others is ignorance, we can open the door of wisdom and compassion.

Buddhism teaches us a powerful truth: Compassion is our deepest nature. It arises from our interconnection to all things.

We're hardwired for kindness.

Now, I'm not talking about feeling sorry for someone or getting a bit weepy during sappy movies. This is about recognizing that we're all part of this giant, interconnected web of life.

Here's the deal: We're often trapped in our own little world – "Me, me, me!" It's like tunnel vision.

But compassion breaks in and through, allowing us to see the bigger picture, the pain and struggle others are facing. It's like having X-ray vision into the hearts of those around us. This leads to some pretty neat stuff.

Here's a quote from Tibetan yogi Longchenpa: "O Nobly Born, there is born in you exceeding compassion for all those living creatures who have forgotten their true nature.”

Longchenpa is basically saying – hey, when you unlock your inner compassion, you also start seeing others not just as themselves, but as beings with huge potential, temporarily lost and confused.

So... how do we upgrade our compassion skills? Start with a little empathy.

When someone's rude to you, don't just get mad. Ask yourself: "What rough day might have led to that outburst?"

When you see someone acting selfishly, wonder, "What's hurting them so much that they need to act this way?"

This isn’t always easy to do. Compassion is like a muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it gets.

Start small, even with the annoying person at the grocery store. And then work up to (perhaps) the annoying person who lives with you.

You'll be amazed at where it takes you. Because compassion is a fundamental key for you to experience more joy on a daily basis.

It’s time to unleash more compassion into the world and more joy into your life. 🙂