RVA's Compassion Movement
By: Sheila Battle and Rachel Douglas
This past year, Reggie Gordon called for a compassion movement in RVA. He believes that we are ripe for it, and he would know; Reggie is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services for the City of Richmond and former Director of the Office of Community Wealth Building. In his article, he called for us to “get closer”. The Innerwork Center has been creating the conditions for Richmonders to “get closer” for 25 years and we are hoping to share that wisdom with you, so we can move towards being a more compassionate region! In a society that encourages us to run away from our humanity and the humanity of others, the purpose of our work is to show you how to run right towards it.
Founded in 1994 as Chrysalis, The Innerwork Center, a nonprofit organization, is a place for Richmonders to address the big questions in life -- Who am I? How do I find meaning and purpose? How can I become more mindful? More present? More compassionate to myself and others? This inner work is done individually and collectively. It benefits us personally and as communities.
As defined by the Compassion Institute, compassion is an awareness of another’s suffering coupled with the willingness to do something to relieve the suffering. In this sense, it is related to but different than kindness; it is in response to someone’s pain. With compassion, we have a sense of our common humanity. Your suffering is my suffering and your liberation is my liberation.
If we are going to work towards a compassionate Richmond, we’re going to need a mind shift. Martin Luther King, Jr. has said “One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right if the head is totally wrong. Only through the bringing together of head and heart-intelligence and goodness-shall man rise to a fulfillment of his true nature.” Do Richmonders have the imagination to get us to this place of head/heart connection? We do! And we always have...but we have to listen to, and believe, our imagination and transcend some historical divisive thinking - defining ourselves in narrow terms by the things (identities, geography, social categories) that separate us.
Often when we act with compassion, we feel good too. We experience positive emotions about ourselves, the other person/people, and our undeniable interdependence. Studies have found that compassion contributes to stronger immune systems and longevity. It is linked with increased happiness, lowered stress, and increased hopefulness.
So, how do we build a more compassionate Richmond for the benefit of ourselves and others?
Reggie offered us one way - getting to know folks who live differently than we do. If that way is not right for you, see if the following five steps taken from the Compassion Cultivation course developed at Stanford University’s Center for Compassionate and Altruism Research and Education Center, help you to illuminate what is yours to do.
Start with awareness and recognition of suffering in others. This is about attention. What are you noticing? Do you notice the little things? We have to incline our minds and hearts toward noticing, knowing that suffering is all around us. No life is free from suffering and pain.
The next step is feeling emotionally moved by another’s pain, and feeling concern or caring or love. It is different from empathy, which can actually lead to empathy fatigue.
At this point, we have to be willing to move a little closer to suffering. The courage or willingness to stay with the difficult situation is part of compassion too.
Fourth, is the belief that we can make a difference - because, little things matter. You don’t need to address systemic oppression if that feels too big. You can start where you are with what you have to give. Everyone has something to give.
Fifth, take action. Commit to doing what you can.
Innerwork Center board member Sheila Battles’ home is affectionately referred to as The Battle Station and their motto is, Loving Everyday People Every Day! Sheila and her husband, Frank, have lived as a resource for their community for over twenty years. They are not a nonprofit, or a church, they are a family and when they see a need they do what they can to help. Their latest effort created an impromptu partnership with Natasha Freeman, owner of Lucid Living located at 3rd & Grace St.
The Battles saw a post on social media about a business that hosted a coat rack in front of their store for the city’s homeless community and others who may not have a coat to wear during the bitter cold months. The Battles offered the first ten coats and asked if any local businesses would be interested in hosting the rack. Ms. Freeman was the first to graciously respond! Now the Battle Station and Lucid Living have collected coats, blankets, and socks to give away to those in need for free.
This simple act won’t eradicate our city’s homelessness problem, but this act of compassion served as an invitation for others to get involved. By engaging in acts of compassion personally and collectively, it moves us in the direction of connection which keeps us from feeling stuck and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems we face.
A compassionate Richmond also involves making structural changes to an unjust system. This begins and ends with the stories we tell and retell.
Is Richmond willing to tell those stories truthfully, with honor and respect for all? Does Richmond have the imagination and courage to write new stories that include the beauty and diversity of who we are yet becoming? Sure we do!
We believe we can, and we will, by aligning our intentions with compassion-based practices, identifying what is ours to do and moving forward with grace to do it.
How are you going to activate your own compassionate nature as a powerful force in your life? We would love to hear your stories too!