It is easy to assume you know why people act the way they do.
“Rude.”
“Lazy.”
“Selfish.”
The old pattern is to judge from the outside and never wonder what it feels like on the inside.
Compassion does not mean you excuse everything.
It means you remember there is always a context you cannot fully see.
The person who snaps may be hanging on by a thread.
The one who cancels on you might be flooded with quiet panic.
The friend who pulls away could be fighting a battle they do not have words for yet.
When you pause long enough to ask, “What might be going on for them?” your body softens.
Your tone shifts.
You move from attack to curiosity.
You can still have boundaries.
You can still say “no” and “this does not work for me.”
Compassion simply keeps you from turning other humans into enemies in your head.
Love, here, is letting someone else’s pain be real without making it all about you.