One of the core dimensions of living a successful life is that of practicing compassion. However, compassion can have different levels of personal involvement.
The underlying level of compassion is empathy, the ability to see and feel things from the point of view of others. Empathy makes possible the sympathetic understanding of others who are perceived as experiencing discomfort, pain, or anguish.
But true compassion is not limited to empathy alone. It has another level as well, and that is the level of actually initiating an attempt to relieve the suffering of others; and this remedial action is grounded in values of decency, responsibility, and caring, qualities that give compassion its moral character.
True compassion is a virtue, and can often be seen in such simple acts as speaking kind words to provide emotional support to a friend, or in providing a helping hand by giving physical assistance to a person in need, or sometimes in contributing money to someone to help pay for a needed expense.
“If compassion without wisdom is blind, compassion without action is hypocritical.” (Matthieu Ricard)
“True compassion lies in what you can do for someone else.” (Olivia Benjamin, Graham)
“It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act.” (Dalai Lama)
Getting Personal
When was the last time you think you were compassionate? Give an example and explain why you believe this was an example of compassion.
