True compassion can never be forced from someone under duress.
It can never be coerced and pried from a person’s heart.
Only bitter compliance can be obtained this way, accompanied by trauma of some degree.
Forcing a cause on someone is like trying to make flowers grow by yanking upward on their stems. We will find ourselves alone and our environment devoid of life.
Compassion in others can only be nurtured, like a garden. The sunlight is attentive listening, the water is tangible acts of service, and the fertilizer is patience.
Like the fruits of a garden, cooperation and respect from people grows out of care.
They are also our gardeners. We should remember this when we’re tempted to tug upward on their stems.