Kurt has a friend who is deaf. Sometimes people say to him "I'm so sorry you're deaf." He told me once that he loves to go to the casino and play poker. There, nobody will give him pity; nobody cares. They only want to take his money; they only see him as a competitor. How interesting that being seen as a potential source of profit is more humanising than being seen as an object of pity.
Sometimes people who exercise pity are doing it with good intentions. Other times, they are putting a thin veil on their egotism, comparing themselves and thinking how they are better.
However, happiness does not need comparison. Happiness is its own reward and its own speaker. If we do exercise pity, likewise, we do not need to see ourselves as better or worse than anyone else.
For transcript and notes go to: Smart Pity A Beautiful Thought
