I wear a police uniform, and there's an ethos of toughness - you can't show too much feeling or weakness. But Paul uses language of clothing here. Put on compassion. That's a deliberate choice, not a natural emotion that emerges.
I started thinking about it that way. On my shift, I'm choosing to put on compassion before I go out. I'm making a decision that this homeless person isn't just a problem to manage - he matters. This woman having a breakdown isn't an inconvenience - she's scared. I'm not naturally empathetic in a way that comes automatically, but I can choose it.
That's actually given me more integrity as an officer. I'm not faking kindness - I'm making a deliberate choice to show up with my humanity even when the job trains you to shut that down. And somehow that makes me better at the hard parts too. People respond to someone who's genuinely trying to understand them, even if that someone is wearing a badge.
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