Circle of Understanding

T. S. Eliot once said, “The circle of our understanding is a very restricted area.” The Language of Compassion frees us from those restrictions.

Often, our understanding is restricted because we limit the ways in which we think and show up, both with ourselves and with others.

When we work only from our brain, we restrict our connection with others. We do not show up whole, but half. In so doing, we reduce our connection to a series of strategies: “Do this! Do that!” There can be very little that is satisfying from living a life solely from the brain.

In Marshall’s world, the issue isn’t either/or; it is both/and. When we bring our brain and our heart into our relationships with others—be it personal or professional, adult or child, friend or stranger—we find ourselves connecting in ways we never thought possible. We widen our circle of understanding and live lives of deep connection, lives that we cherish.

The important piece is connection, for connection is the overarching intent of Language of Compassion; it is the single piece that matters most. When we enter into telling our truths with the intent, first, of connecting, then the strategies arise organically, but more important than that, we show up for ourselves and in showing up for ourselves, whatever loneliness we may have felt, whatever discouragement we may have felt, whatever hopelessness we may have felt dissipates, for connecting to ourselves and others in ways that do not wound brings feelings of pride and empowerment beyond our imagination. 

Each time we step into our truth, we stand a little taller and our lives get a little better. Bit by bit, we find ourselves changing in ways we never thought possible—all because we changed the way we think and speak, moving from the shackles of condemnation to the freedom of compassion.