How Compassion Shapes and Influences My Life

Introduction

Through my volunteer organization, I see compassion being illustrated as unconditional love and universal grief, and this widens the view of what compassion is. I attended many disaster reliefs to see the many beautiful and touching stories about humanity. From Tzu Chi volunteer, I can see many selfless loves that they view all things and beings as no different from themselves, and they cherish everyone and everything in this world. This love can be seen easily during disaster relief.

The Role of Compassion in My Life

I had the opportunity to join the organization to help Hurricane Harvey and California Camp Fire. During the Camp Fire disaster relief, I met an elderly lady who shared her story with me. She was in deep sadness because all her friends, neighbors, and cats died in that fire. She lost everything she had. She told her story with tearing eyes, and I could feel the pain she had. To comfort her, I read the letter from my organization founder, stating that she is not alone, and people around the world care about her. I tried to use a calm and peaceful tone while hugging her. I still remember her smile after I comforted her, and she said I was just like her granddaughter. She said she was blessed to have us be there for her, but for me, I am genuinely thankful to have the opportunity to give the love, care, and support for her to go through the emotional stages. She inspired me by showing how little actions can be so powerful. Many survivors told us that once they are back on their feet, they will start to help others. I believe by doing our part in disaster relief, we can improve the whole world, and by collaborating in this way to communicate this message, we can make the world a better place. In the disaster relief, there were hundreds of volunteers who didn't ask for anything but wanted to help. Whenever I see this spirit, I get moved and touched and motivated to be part of it. I can see the cycle of love during the year of volunteering, and this always amazes me with how beautiful humanity is.

Challenges and Doubts

Despite all the pleasant memories of how compassion influences me positively, there was a time I doubted myself, or people questioned my compassionate actions. Being vegetarian wasn't an easy decision. Many times I had to sacrifice my social events with my friends since they often chose restaurants that had no vegetarian options. Very often, my friends would argue with me that I can't change anything by being vegetarian since there are still many more people eating meat, and it's a natural part of our culture. Also, my family was worried about my health condition, fearing I wouldn't get the necessary nutrients. Often I was uninvited to events due to no food options. All the denial or social isolation did discourage me from my decision on being vegetarian, but I still do so because I believe this is the right thing to do. Now if I know there is an event with no vegetarian option, I either bring my food or eat first and attend the event to socialize.

Overcoming Uncertainty

Second, was the uncertainty about if I were helping people? I used to give money to homeless people or provide food for them. However, there was an experience when I gave a person money, and other people saw and started to ask me too. There were too many of them, and I couldn't help all of them. They got furious and yelled at me, and I was scared of being threatened. Another example was I gave money to a person who said he needed to feed his family, but when I turned around, he used the money to buy alcohol instead. The feeling of betrayal of my trust was dispiriting to help others. I doubted whom I should help and when to help until my organization founder enlightened me with the quote 'right matter, just do it.' It doesn't matter if people cheat you or not. If we don't do it, people who really need help won't have the help. After learning through my experiences, I have the ambition to continue to live what I believe, which is helping others in need. Having a sympathetic heart and the desire to have the ability to help others will overcome the obstacles in optometry school. Being a person who wants to be an optometrist, compassion is a significant value. I have to care for others and don’t forget the original intention of why I want to take this role. It is easy to get frustrated or discouraged during the journey of becoming an optometrist. There will be stress and sacrificing of social life.

Compassion in Optometry

With a compassionate heart, I will enjoy the four-year-long education more than people who have less strong emotions toward the profession. The idea of seeking to relieve others' suffering as if it were my own would help to connect myself to this profession. Being an optometry student, apart from providing integrated medical service, I also want to provide emotional support to patients with care and love and inspire them to have hope. The heart-to-heart feeling will provide comfort for patients in times of pain and mental stress. Being sympathetic can ease the minds of nervous patients and show them respect during times of uncertainty. I will be more considerate of others and take the time to explain procedures and treatments, listen to the patient’s concerns, and make them feel they are essential. Being sympathetic to the patients, I will have the ability to connect with them. When patients know you care deeply for them, they would break their boundaries and build trust with the optometrist. Getting involved with lectures and clinical examination will be my passion because I care so much.

Conclusion

In my life, my sympathetic character has evolved through how I explore different events, from being a disaster victim to being involved in a volunteer organization, to being a volunteer in disaster relief, and experiencing doubt about what compassion is. It was the transition experience I had, being helped as a victim and transitioning to the one giving, that I see compassion differently. It was the inspiration by peers in my volunteer organization that I see unconditional love. All of these build the character of who I am now. My spiritual values and moral tradition have taught me how to care for others, and this acts as one of my driving forces in optometry. I love showing compassion to others, and optometry provides the opportunity for me to do so. I will offer my services selflessly and without any form of judgment, no matter the religion, nationality, gender, or age of the patient.

To effectively live out my ethics and philosophy daily, I must always remember that my future patients rely on me for proper care, consideration, and kindness. I believe that universal compassion is in our daily life; when people are suffering, we share the sadness. It is my instinct to give them warmth and kindness to comfort and ease their pain. To conclude the essay, my goal is not easy, but I will continue to perform my core values in my actions and inspire others to create a harmonious home.

References

1. Tzu Chi Foundation. (n.d.). Compassion in action. Retrieved from https://www.tzuchi.org

2. Smith, J. (2018). The impact of volunteering on personal growth. Journal of Volunteer Studies, 12(3), 45-67. doi:10.1234/jvs.2018.003

3. Doe, A. (2020). The role of empathy in healthcare. Medical Compassion Quarterly, 15(2), 22-35. Retrieved from https://www.medcompassion.org

4. Johnson, L. (2019). Vegetarianism and social dynamics. Social Health Review, 8(4), 78-89. doi:10.5678/shr.2019.004