Compassion Grows in Solitude

It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers and sisters. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them. . . . Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers and sisters for what they are, not for what they say.
---Thomas Merton

"I might put on a monkey suit and act like a monkey, but that doesn't make me a monkey. Likewise, the fact that another person acts like a jerk doesn't make that person a jerk. In reality, we all are beautiful creations... here on this planet for a human experience, going through similar trials and tribulations but reacting differently to them. It's in silence and solitude that I can come to the understanding that every person on this planet is a brother or sister, and deserving of my love... fellow spirits on a difficult journey in a beautiful but trying world."

From livinglifefully.com.