For some people, opening themselves to compassionate responses initially creates its own kind of pain. When we recognize that all people—actually, all beings—are capable of suffering, our relationship to others changes. As the ripples of compassion move out beyond the circumference of our own suffering or that of our loved ones and friends, we may find it increasingly impossible to ignore the plight of people we’ve never met…Their situation and their capacity to suffer become piercingly real.

~ Nancy Napier, “Sacred Practices for Conscious Living, 2nd Edition”

Lotus Blossoms – photo by Ange DiBenedetto