11.55 Revenge burns not our enemy but ourselves
Revenge burns not our enemy but ourselves. Revenge doesn't rebuild the past. It only burns what's still standing. Duryodhana wanted revenge on Bhima for tossing [...]
18.22 Peace in the Middle East: Beyond Political Truce to Spiritual Truth
After nearly two years of bitter fighting between Israel and Hamas, a peace deal has finally been signed in the Middle East. While the political [...]
Don’t just condemn the demonic; contemplate how they became demonic
Greedy people often do things for the sake of money that most decent people hesitate to do. Greed can lead people to become not just [...]
Protecting our spirit to help
Just because we can't help everyone doesn't mean that we should help no one. Helpfulness is always a virtue; It is just helpfulness without thoughtfulness [...]
Can we help everyone?
Wanting to help others is a sign of our empathy, and acknowledging that there are some people that just cannot be helped is a sign [...]
When people behave strangely…
Just because some actions are inconsiderate does not necessarily mean that they are unwarranted or inappropriate. When someone behaves in a way that does not [...]
Does God know our pain?
God knows our pain, and He understands what we stand to gain by persevering through the pain. When we are suffering, we might question whether [...]
Cut people or cut people some slack?
Don't cut people because they are slack. Cut people some slack. Whenever someone doesn't live up to our expectations, it is natural that we become [...]
Giving others what they deserve is not love
Love means to give others what they need, not what they deserve or even what they desire. When we try to show our affection to [...]
When compassion discourages instead of encouraging
When we wish to be compassionate to others, we may not realize that we might be unintentionally discouraging them instead of encouraging them. How might [...]
How to see addiction with compassion
Whenever we see somebody suffering from addiction, unable to give up some indulgence, even when it is harmful to them—harmful to their loved ones—it will [...]
How to make judgments without being judgmental
Making judgments is a functional necessity in life. We need to make judgments about the kind of people we want to befriend, the habits or [...]
Be not holier-than-thou
During a pandemic, suppose someone has succeeded in avoiding infection by adopting preventive measures such as vaccination. Suppose further that they become proud and deliberately [...]
Why equal treatment can sometimes seem unequal
Suppose a parent has two children, one younger and the other older. Suppose the younger sibling is just learning to eat from a plate and [...]
The difference between compassion and compromise
Suppose we are building a staircase to a scenic spot on a hilltop. Suppose we make the steps so big that people have to pull [...]
Two aspects of compassion as seen through our speech
Suppose a doctor sees a sick person and decides to offer free treatment in the form of an injection. Suppose further that the patient has [...]
Gita 06.32 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now Sri Krishna will conclude this [...]
When being truthful is helpful and when it isn’t
Suppose our partner came to us and started listing out all our faults, which number over a hundred. How would hearing that list affect us? [...]
How is morality present wherever the Gita is followed?
The Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion (18.78) asserts that morality is present wherever the Gita’s teachings are followed. This assertion may raise some eyebrows among those who know [...]
Why all insensitivity is not equal
We all are wired differently and we may just not have certain faculties. Some people’s minds may be so geared as to have low emotional [...]
How sensitivity differs from sentimentality
Suppose a doctor is treating a patient for a painful ailment wherein a boil needs to be cut. If the doctor is sensitive, they are [...]