Derek Black - Compassion

Today I watched an inspiring man, Derek Black, he was on Trevor Noah (Whoops I can't watch it here from Comedy Central

). I don't know how broad his views now are, there is a book by Eli Saslow "Rising Out of Hatred" that can maybe answer some of that. But here is a man who is now alienated from his family because he renounced white supremacism. Now that is beyond conditioning, and I have respect for that.

Here is a piece from the Washington Post with more info, but what I liked most was his final answer to Trevor. Compassion, pure and simple. Moving beyond conditioning to compassion:-

Snowflakes, it is hard. If you are brought up with a liberal upbringing, it is easy to say what you have been taught. For Derek everything he says is a sacrifice against his upbringing - that is strength and conviction. Snowflakes to reach that compassion you have to go beyond your conditioning. Where is the conflict to drive you beyond that Derek had? You don't have it. You are in harmony with your compassion until you push it. What about those compromises at work? What about the times you are silent in rooms full of hate? Do you stand up? There were times in pubs I didn't, those guys are frightening. You must find your trigger that takes you out of the comfort zone of neoliberalism, moves you beyond the conditioning and into the compassion that Derek found.

Is it easy? No but if you are asking the question that is the start. Are your friends asking? No, choose your friends, move beyond your conditioning.