After the furore over the weekend about Match of the Day and everything that went with it, the one thing that seemed to be overlooked was the people who were at the centre of it – those seeking asylum and refuge.
Whatever the politics of it all, people don’t tend to put their lives at risk crossing an ocean in a small boat for no reason. And I think it’s worth noting that seeking asylum or refuge is not the same as economic migration. Seeking asylum or refuge is not illegal, and does not make a person an illegal immigrant. Nor can those people access work in this country or the benefit system, whatever certain areas of the media might tell us. We are all human, we all want the best for ourselves and our families, and we all want to live free from fear. It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask.
And so.. this week’s Monday Mantra asks that we all have a little more compassion and love, and a little less judgement and condemnation for others. This mantra helps us reconnect with our sense of compassion and connection with others. It reduces or even removes any false sense of separation and defensiveness against others, and cultivates feelings of deep love and kindness.
Karuna Hum
Kuh-roon-ah hoom
I am compassion. Compassion is my true nature.
Karuna – the purest compassion which can only come from the knowledge that all beings are absolutely connected through a shared consciousness
Hum – either “I” or “I am”