Category: Compassion

Affirmation of core value from Steven Stosny’s The Powerful Self:

I am worthy of respect, value, and compassion, whether or not I get them from others.  If I don’t get them from others, it is necessary to feel more worthy, not less.  It is necessary to affirm my own deep value as a unique person, a child of God.  I respect and value myself.  I have compassion for my hurt.  I have compassion for the hurt of others.  I trust myself to act in my best interests and in the best interests of loved ones.”

“Compassion disarms the defenses of others.  Compassion rarely stimulates anger in others, making hostile or destructive defenses unnecessary, thereby breaking the cycle of reciprocal and escalating aggression.  It is virtually impossible to sustain aggression in the face of compassionate behavior.”

— Steven Stosny, The Powerful Self, p. 30