The Selves of Us · Letters
The Gift of Compassion
30 August 2026·1,225 readers
Most of us don’t like to dwell too much on difficult and painful things unless we thrive on those as happens sometimes. As we wrap up a series on people who live with different conditions or neurodivergencies, I can’t help looking back at what started this all.
A thought that seemed so random at that time of the year where most people deeply think about how they want to change— more into themselves I like to believe. (New Year)
“How would a blind person interact with The Selves Of Us? I wondered.
A series of posts have resulted from that single question.
I pray that all the lessons learnt stay with me, to learn to go beyond empathy and function with the gift of compassion.
Compassion pushes one beyond mere feelings and encourages action. When you see a homeless person on the street and not only feel their hardship but also give them food and shelter, you’re exhibiting compassion.
- Alexandra Hall, MindJournal
The last post in this series is really a tribute to the organisations and people behind them. There’s been so much information that, long as the articles were, I still couldn’t fit everything in. This last post is an attempt to do just that. Potpourri style.
Everyone I’ve met, spoken with and shared bits of our journeys with, is a compassionate soul. And I’m a better person for that.
My gratitude knows no bounds.
— Tshego
Editor's Note · Roy Hewett
Some of the Best people are Empaths
In considering our friends, family and acquaintances, we will invariably find that those who can empathise and sympathise with others stand out as the facilitators of peace, love and harmony… crucial for healthy interaction. The positive difference made by such people in all walks of life is of inestimable value to friendships, family relationships, communities and wellbeing, both nationally and internationally.
But of course, we do not live in a perfect world.
When ego and the lack of humility intrude, when self-serving and self-enriching forces get the upper hand, all levels of human interaction are impacted in ways that destroy the fabric of society on all levels.
As is evident in the last few articles, my friend and colleague, Tshego, is guided by empathy and powerfully drawn to any ways in which she can contribute to the awareness of needs in others. The organisations with which she has liaised mirror this admirable compassion for her ‘fellow man’.
Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.
- Alfred Adler
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