In my work as a crisis line counselor, I receive calls from women and men of all ages and often from adolescents too. Each person is calling for assistance, emotional support, and sometimes resource information to deal with whatever difficulty prompted them to call. Sometimes they are calling about something that happened to them just recently, and sometimes it is about ongoing problems. Capable counselors need to have the qualities of compassion, empathy, being nonjudgmental, and being able to give each person who calls their complete attention.
Actually, all of us should strive to develop these qualities. What a difference that would make in our world! It would become a far better place, one interaction at a time. And not only would we help to make the world better for others but also for ourselves. For as the Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”