Anxious

Being anxious, or in a painful rush of any kind, kills the possibility of meeting anyone with compassion.
Guy Finley

We all know the feeling of being anxious, of being in a painful rush. As our society grows more complex, and we all have more and more things we feel we have to do, there never seems to be enough time. How often have you wished for more time? We often feel like we are on a treadmill, the harder we work, the more there seems for us to do. There seems to be little hope of actually getting everything done that we feel is necessary.

When we are anxious, or in a painful rush, we are focused on the future, and we are afraid. We are afraid something very bad will happen in the future if we don't get our task done, preferably immediately. We are so busy thinking about what the future might hold that we completely forget about what is going on around us right now. And who is around us right now. The only relevance the present seems to have is as a tool to get whatever it is done as soon as possible.

But the people around us are not just a tool to satisfy our own needs. They have needs of their own. We tend to be oblivious to what other people want or need when we are anxious and in a painful rush because we are too busy thinking about our own needs and what we are going to do to satisfy them. Being anxious, or in a painful rush of any kind, kills the possibility of meeting anyone with compassion. And being anxious is by no means the best way to satisfy even our own personal needs. Slow down and relax. Not only will you get your own needs satisfied more efficiently, you'll have time and attention for other people's needs too. It would be a win-win situation for everyone.