ABSTRACT
This chapter shifts from the what, why, and how of compassion to obstacles encountered in practicing compassion. These obstacles represent barriers to compassion. Two types of barriers are discussed. The first is compassion overload, where suffering takes up too much space in our lives, either because we constantly attend to suffering (compassion fatigue) or when suffering becomes so overwhelming that it instills feelings of helplessness (compassion collapse). The second type of barriers is compassion roadblocks. These are aspects of everyday life that interfere with a compassionate response to suffering. Three examples are presented. The first is normative standards of behavior that interfere with attending to suffering compassionately, such as gender-based norms, especially those guiding how masculinity plays out in interpersonal relations. The second is compassion-unfriendly contexts, such as settings filled with adversity, threats to life, economic hardship, and those marked by intense competition. The third includes wandering thoughts, explosive emotions, or unrestrained ambitions. The chapter closes by acknowledging that getting overwhelmed by the suffering in life, or running into roadblocks that interfere with attentiveness and compassionate responsiveness to suffering, are common human experiences.
