Compassion

Kintu took on 3 much bigger dogs because they were picking on the weak. But he would never pick on the little doggos who aren't hurting anyone else. Kintu understands that strength is a Paw-erful gift that should be used to lift others up.

Superheroes need to be strong. You can't help others unless you have the strength to do so. There are lots of different ways of being strong, and it doesn't always have to be physical. But simply having strength doesn't make us a superhero. It's how we use our strength.

Superheroes understand that everyone has different levels of strength. Compassion is helping those with less strength. Villains use their strength to pick on the weak. Superheroes use their strength to keep the strong from picking on the weak. Compassion is punching up at those who abuse their strength and refusing to punch down at those who are weak. Don't expect the weak to show compassion for the strong. That's not their job.

On the road to justice, superheroes have to be constantly cautious, because we run into the danger of forming a false sense of righteousness. We're fighting against the strong who are harming the weak, and that's great! But sometimes we think "the ends justify the means" and start justifying more strength than is necessary to stop the harm against the weak.

Sometimes the use of harm is necessary for justice. Sometimes we have to punch villains. But unfortunately punching villains is harming them. If we can stop the injustice without punching them, we should do that. Only use the force necessary to stop the harm, and always seek for less violent, less harmful ways to stop the injustice.

Superheroes also have to be careful, because that desire to stop the harm can sometimes become revenge. Our motive might shift from stopping injustice to enjoyment of inflicting harm. When we do this, we've lost the Way of Compassion. Don't expect victims of villains to have this superhero-level compassion for others. But as a superhero, it comes with the job description.

Kintudo® Dojo teaches martial skills. We learn how to fight. We have to be able to defend our own borders and territory. But with great Paw-er comes great responsibility. Much more important than learning how to fight is learning when to fight and why we fight. Paw-er can be used to help or to harm. Being a superhero isn't just about getting bigger muscles or learning better techniques. It's about changing your heart. Being a superhero means developing a kind of compassion in your heart that encompasses all sentient beings.

And in developing compassion for all sentient beings, make sure to develop compassion for yourself. You are worthy of compassion.