Page 171 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

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A still more limited form of compassion is the compassion that everyone feels towards oneself. If you do something wrong, you expect others to overlook it. And if they do not do so, you become indignant and say, “How cruel people have become in this world!”
In all these examples, compassion is limited to only a very few people—and if the “compassionate one” is not recognized, surprising cruelty sometimes manifests! But in the case of a Sage, there arises spontaneous compassion for all based on a cosmic vision of the universality of life. This compassion arises on the basis of the knowledge that the entire universe is sustained by one stream of life: “I am all that is.”
As an aspirant you must belong to the whole universe. You should not continue to remain con ned to a limited vision of family and friends, but discover the ability to commune with all. However, this universal feeling does not imply a cruel indifference towards your relatives and friends. Rather, it enables you to be more profound, sincere and effective towards them as you learn to transcend your egoistic barriers. All are bene ted when you realize that you are dealing with yourself when you deal with “others” in the world. Though people seem to be in different physical bodies, in different surroundings, and with different practical realities, they are all essentially the Divine Self that dwells in all.