"Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know" -Pema Chodron

This quote was shared with me today and it resonated with me to the core. So often I encounter people walking through life blind to the unhealthy patterns they perpetuate for themselves - be it unhealthy attitudes, relationships, decisions - the choices are endless. I've been there. Until we learn from the 'wrong' unhealthy ways, we will be caught up in a continuous loop. My opinion is that learning requires introspection, a change in thought processes/beliefs, accountability, and forgiveness in conjunction with application of learned principles. 

______________

Second point to ponder for the day... If I want to teach my child compassion, what's the best method? Is it through demonstration - to live compassionately - or is it a discussion and definition of compassion? Is it by throwing her in to situations with less fortunate people so she can begin to appreciate everything with which she is afforded and understand the social structure? There's probably a combination of methods, and no right or wrong way to do it. I think the one that resonates with me most highly is teaching through demonstration. When she sees me or hears me behaving compassionately, she will more readily apply the same behaviors herself.