Compassion

February 7th, 2026, 12.5x21cm, Graphite on Paper

“If you love them, let them go.” It's a common saying, but it is also the truest form of compassion. If we love someone, we want to free them from the pains of restraint. We may think we know what is best for others or may want to control the path of their life in order to keep them close, but this only compresses them into a small, dark space where they cannot express themselves fully. Each person extends far beyond what we can see or imagine, and we must acknowledge that this is the case, or our attempts to empathize will be mere projection. Complete, mind-reading empathy is impossible, because everyone has an unimaginably lush inner life that should be allowed free play beyond the scope of our understanding. True compassion admits this fact and stands back with humble respect, witnessing what it has the privilege of witnessing but not imposing onto anyone. Each person is a world unto themselves, because each person processes the sensory inputs of the world through the lens of their unique perceptions, and interacts with other living beings in a unique way. When we release others from the cage of our control, expectations, and idealized conceptions, we can see them in the fullness of their true consciousness.