Compassion…
Posted by Allison Mack | Filed under Blog
Question! What is compassion?
It’s a word I use constantly! All the time! I find myself discussing and calling for compassion as often as I use my name . But what is it? How can I claim to stand for something I can’t define?
Have you ever asked someone to just “be honest”? What is that? Can you define this process for you? Ghandi said (and I am paraphrasing terribly), if you ask someone to do something you would never do yourself it is an inhumane act of enslavement.
So, essentially, does that mean that if I ask someone to “be honest” or “be compassionate” and yet I have no understanding of what this even means to me, that is, in fact, an inhumane act?
Huh? How does that work? I find I spin in circles with this one. If I want a world of compassion and non-violence, and yet I am violent. I will “fight for peace!” What?
Anyway.
Compassion? What is it? Definition to come.
xo
Allison
139 Responses to “Compassion…”
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sk8erjawapunk Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:35 pmi think compassion is giving of yourself with no thought of reward.
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luvtheheaven Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:40 pmI’d say compassion is at least attempting to understand (if not actually understanding) what another person is feeling… and then finding a way to show that you care that they feel that way.
(I also think “Be honest” is usually just someone requesting that whoever they’re talking to not tell a lie in the next sentence or two that they say… it’s not something more meaningful than that, it’s not like you’re asking them to do something you wouldn’t do had someone asked you to “Be honest” at some point in time…
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garbhan Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:40 pmcompassion is defined by people, for compassion to have a meaning we would all have to feel the same way about a particular circumstance and in reality we don’t. So i dont think compassion can have a set definityion, yes we can feel compassion for others, but will your compassionate nature be the same as mine?? nice question, maybe its my upbringing but compassion is a word im constantly reminded of.
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simonkeenan007 Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:43 pma strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a desire to help them: This is a word that should be used by everyone each day, so the world can become a better place…and trust me it really needs to become a better place…..
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Raquel Emanuele Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:44 pm1- how are you?
2-Compassion? What is it? Definition to come.
Well, sympathy runs the status of penalty, the very people confuse the two and it is not good to do it, you know, actually compassion and love of neighbor, because if you watch everything revolves around it, so that people not see, they agree but they live and sleep when they wake up time is too late …Premature delivery is, without fear, without fear, without prejudice. It is a gift and not an attitude, and love. Having compassion is putting yourself in the other, is to give without asking anything in return. That is why God made us and made his own image, not in detail, but we have the gift of loving each other and have a simple life and beautiful pra understand.
Well, that’s it! Good luck, I love you not even knowing the person but the artist!
xoxo
Brazilian LOVE YOU
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Kennsnipes Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:57 pmCompassion is action stemming from sympathy. Like, I feel compassion for myself when my cat won’t stop crying, so I compassionately put him out in the hall.
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scannerwa Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:08 pmFor me, compassion is not dissimilar to altruism. Compassion is caring about situations or circumstances of others. Where sympathy stops at that point, compassion continues in the desire and perhaps need to help or assist in some way to either rid or lesson the others pain due to the circumstance, or to want to better their situation.
“Just be honest”… for me, it means ‘be blunt’… to spare me the commonly assumed courtesy of trying to avoid hurting my feelings and just tell me the truth, regardless of how it may effect me… because I can handle it.
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Ezequiel Antunes Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:19 pmIs to understand the feelings of others
and try at all costs to relieve pain.
Is to be kind to those who suffersorry my bad english ;~ kisses
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W3nDa Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:26 pmWell as far as i know compassion is when you help someone, not just out of pitty, but becuse seen (not just a person but a living creature) suffer and it hurts you just as bad and you have the need to help them. Compassion can be shown in so many ways like helping a friend and not asking for anything in return, giving a hug, kiss, listening to someone else or just being there for them. I guess compassion its a lot like bieng selfless and loving to everyone and everything that its around you.
But lets no forget that Compassion and Pitty are NOT the samethings! We usually forget that and/or confuse them and that is not right!!
Well thats all i wanted to say, and i love that you ask questions that make us really think, not make us doubt about oursleves but make us think if we really are like that. Or how we could be better persons.
P.S. i really admire you. xoxo from Houston, TX.
By: Wendy Vargas -
b4dawn101 Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:34 pmCompassion… My first reaction? Oh, it’s feeling sorry for someone.
But does that really define it? Does that capture its essence? Hardly.
Real compassion is looking outside of our comfortable little world where everything is handed to us on a silver platter and seeing people who struggle, who actually have needs. No, not just looking at them and passing by, but SEEING them, recognizing their needs, and WANTING to do something about it. And that want is compassion. Why do we want to do something, though? Where does compassion come from?
I believe that it’s *part of our nature* to see a fellow human in less fortunate circumstances and feel compassion. God created us to reflect Him, to see things as He sees them. You know of the homeless family that stays at the shelter every night? It breaks His heart. It should break ours, too.
Our goodness shines through when we see the lost, the broken, the hurting, and we FEEL THEIR PAIN. We pour out our time, energy, and resources to those in need without asking for recognition or compensation. We look at the stranger who just lost their mother to cancer, and our hearts break as if her mother were our own. We feel the ache in that stranger’s heart as if it were our own, and we sit, cry with them, and try to help in any way possible.
And that, my dear, is compassion. I hope I did the word justice, though it probably deserves a two-page essay.
In the love of Christ: Sush -
Raziellus Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 7:32 pmCompassion is a type of caring. It’s a feeling that someone else’s well-being is important. It reminds me of empathy, in that both require you to see that someone else has experiences that affect them on a personal, and thus important, level. Compassion is more than just wanting them to have positive experiences though, it also entails the willingness to go out of one’s way to see to it that others have positive experiences.
The positive experiences themselves also take specific forms. It’s more than just, say, helping them find tasty food. It’s about deeper needs like eating at all.
So I’d say that compassion is caring about someone on a deep level, wanting and willing to help improve their quality of life.
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J_Ramos9 Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 7:54 pmI’ve wondered the same thing. I sometimes get confused between the words sympathy and compassion and the real difference between those two words.
I think compassion is being able to take someone’s situation and being able to, if not fully understand and relate, at least feel a certain sentiment toward that person. It’s not a feeling of disgust or indifference but rather wanting to help and maybe the situation better. Even if one can’t help.
I can feel “compassion” toward an elderly gentleman walking down the street on a cane, a parent being ignored by his/her child or seeing a parent being indifferent to his/her child. I may not be able to help in the situations, but I feel for them and hope for the better outcome.
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Jade Ruby Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 8:58 pmCompassion is the want and willingness to put others welfare before your own. It can go beyond emotional descriptions, and be more in line perhaps with a fundamental sense of duty for other lives. This is not to say that compassion may be entirely selfless, though it can be, or that empathy and sympathy cannot be involved. Some may say that it can be sparked by that realization that indeed, there is a singularity to all Life.
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RabbiMatthew Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:12 pmMerriam Webster’s dictionary defines it as : sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. I think though that it is a little more than that. I think that it also involves the human standard of wanting to be “good.” A “good” person is also honest and compassionate. I think that all of us have compassion to a certain extent. It’s simply a matter of whether or not we are willing to act on that compassionate response within us as to whether or not we are defined by Ghandi’s words.
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Shannon Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:17 pmFirst and foremost, I want to let you know how thrilled I was when I found this site. I am a huge Smallville follower and I think it’s just so great that you are a part of your fan base. I admire your works, talents, and perspectives. There is great change approaching in my life and because you give a damn about your fans, I have you to thank for part of that change. So thank you, Allison. Now, onto the definition…
Compassion, to me, is the genuine care and concern for the welfare and well being of a living thing or idea. When I think of the word compassion, I immediately associate with it the ideas of humanity and humility, if only by my own virtues of what I see as compassion. I would also emphasize love as an inherent element of compassion. I’m just going on life experiences here.
Great to see you online and I look forward to more from you in the future. Thanks once again for being an inspiration and motivation, and have a wonderful day!
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DJ TATZ Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:27 pmCompassion,
Such a simple word yet a mouthful at the same time. When I think of the word compassion, I picture the warmest hug you can get from person. The practical use of compassion in today’s society could definitely be stepped up a notch or so to say the least. There are a lot of scary things going on in the world a lot that most of us don’t care to see or just don’t even comprehend, and I personally believe a lot of it has to do with the simple act of compassion. How many times have you seen in the media, (abuse, homelessness, war, crime, etc…) you know that feeling you get inside of how you want to help or the sadness you feel? that is your compassion coming to the surface. A lot of people choose just to ignore these feelings and just proceed to believe that it’s someone else’s issue, but there are those who do step out of their own bubble and at least try. It’s sad to even think that we are even capable of sweeping some of the things that go on under the rug so to speak. If you ever get a chance to reflect on your own life, think of all the times you have shown compassion for something or someone, wouldn’t you say those are the times that you really felt the most human? Compassion can be and is a really beautiful thing. It shows us that we are not robots and are capable of feeling, caring and helping each other. It shows us that the idea of world peace can be achieved, just simply by changing the way we think and operate as individuals. I know doesn’t it sound so easy, and really it’s one of those things that aren’t too good to be true, it’s a simple fact. We live in a society where we love free stuff; how good do you feel when you win something? Well think about compassion that way, it doesn’t cost you a thing to love or to care and when you do it makes you a better person inside. I guess the final words I can say about compassion, it shows even beneath the weight of the world, there is light for us at the end of the tunnel.Thanks for taking time to read this, may God bless you and that you have in life all that your heart desires
Derrick Vincent Gauthier 2009
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Meg Capener Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:38 pmCompassion is a feeling of sorrow for the sufferings or circumstances of another person or people, and the feeling in your heart that you want to assist them to feel comforted & hopeful. Compassion is expressed through simple acts of service & kindness. One that happened to me was when I was working two jobs to make ends meet. One day as I got to my night job my co-workers said someone brought you something. It was close to Christmas time, and they said that a tall handsome man brought you something. I didn’t know anyone who fit that description, & I believed them at first! Anyway, as I went into the office a decorated sack was sitting on the desk. It was a sack of clothes, food items & a jar filled with money, and a book. ” The Christmas Jar,” by Jason Wright. It’s a fantastic book, & after reading it you will know what the jar filled with money means and how it came about. I cried! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I wasn’t expecting anything from anyone because now I had two jobs and my son & I would make it. By receiving this gift my heart was made light! My son was really excited also. He counted all the money in the jar, & it was over $65.00! I am looking forward to this Christmas when I can give my “Christmas Jar” away!
Allison, you ARE awesome!!! Thank you so much for being you!!!!!!!
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Rae Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:42 pmWe’re taught that compassion is the caring we feel for others. I honestly think that is a bit of an understatement.
To me, compassion is a form of love. It’s the love I feel for my fellow human beings. If someone is hurt, I offer them, love and support; my compassion. I think it’s this that we call for when we call for compassion. We’re asking people to show someone, who may not have felt it before, or is in sore need of it, a selfless love.
I believe we all have different views on the subject and this is just mine.
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DrHenryJonesJr Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 10:21 pmHey Allison i think compassion is when you´re trully able to understand the others, do not judge them and really feel in your heart that we´re all the same. i think everything comes from that. Take care of yourself honey.
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DJ TATZ Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 10:53 pmHa silly me Allison, here I am jumping the gun and giving a whole definition on Compassion when that isn’t really what the question was, talk about egg on my face. Your question was can we ask something of someone that we ourselves don’t understand. Frankly I think we do this more often than not we ask things of people that if the shoe were on the other foot would we really be so quick to do it? Let’s use the war as an example everyone wants to go get the bad guys so to speak but are they ready to strap on the fatigues and head out? I believe what Ghandi was saying is essentially that; it’s just simply a question of self. There are so many levels that his comment can be broken down into, I guess it’s just figuring out how it incorporates in to us as individuals. As far as asking someone to be honest with you or being compassionate that’s another story, I think that the solution is to show positive example of what we believe these things to be and hope that they get it and pass it on to others
I must say Allison, that my friends and I are huge fans of yours and the cast of smallville. We all would get together and watch it every week since season one. My father who has now passed, used to watch it with us, he used to joke that i look like Lex haha. On a real note, I think you are very stunning and talented, and I wish you the most success in all your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Derrick Vincent Gauthier -
Bouroux Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 10:59 pmHi Allison.
Compassion is the feeling by which we are led to perceive or feel the suffering of others, and pushed to remedy.
Compassion is a predisposition to the perception and recognition of the pain of others, causing a reaction of active solidarity, or just emotional.
Compassion is “suffering with”. Compassion is not an emotion. It would be rather an attitude which leads us to be sensitive to the suffering of someone.
What is compassion?These are the emotions experienced in caring that make us more human.
My disturbance could be foremost existential: my sadness and helplessness in front of the vulnerability of human beings. The manipulation of humans by other humans by the belief is totaly inhuman and extremely damaging.Compassion can be extremely destructive if you are not able to control this attitude.
The best way to help is to stay strong and mentaly healthy while being sensitive. You are the center of your universe. It’s the only way to be happy and have an amazing compassionnate live.
Take care of you.
Bye
Claude.
P.S.
do you have some news of Marilyn? -
Lily Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 11:03 pmTo me compassion means to care for people, open one’s heart to people, simply be nice to everyone around you, wanting to help and comfort, trying not to judge and be willing to listen to both sides of a story.
I will “fight for peace!” What?
There are many ways to “fight’ for peace, compassion, understanding,… without using violence. Simply by doing one’s best to set an example, like having an open-minded, warm attitude, a good heart, taking time to listen, using kind words, giving hugs, any form of expression, … all the things you want to see in this world. Nobody is perfect, we can only but do our very best.I think you are already being compassionate. Asking yourself what it is to you, reflects your desire of wanting to be a good person and do things right to make the world a better place. As we grow, we make mistakes but we learn and it can only make us stronger and better human beings.
Allison, you are a good human being. You are an inspiration and you are really making a difference. Believe it, because you are all of that.
*hugs*
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Beth Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 1:28 amThat’s an excellent question Allison, which usually means it’s difficult to answer. This may be because it’s a little ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways. I would generally put being compassionate in the ‘being humane’ category. I could go into more detail, but you probably get the idea. In terms of asking someone to be honest, that may depend on what you’re asking them to be honest about and if they want you to return the favour, are you willing to. If your not, then do you deserve to know of their honesty and are you showing compassion by asking them to be honest with you.
Wow…my minds spinning now, too.
The answer could go round and round in circles.Good to hear from you.
xoxo
Beth -
Sage Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 2:34 amIt IS an interesting word. You’ll find that Muslims constantly call upon God through God’s attribute of being “Compassionate” and “Merciful.” These two attributes are often, but not always, manifest together in the world around us.
So when they’d start something, write something, or give a lecture Muslims always start by saying. “Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem” Eng: “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Most-Merciful.”
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Matt_88 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 3:11 amAll i can say about compassion is what concerned about a latin lesson i had a couple of years ago…
In italian the word compassion is “compassione”, and it originates from the latin “cumpassionem”, from the verb “cumpati”.
It’s fromed by the union of “cum” (that means “with”) and “passionem” (that means “suffer”).
The feeling of compassion, so, is the one of feeling suffer, sorrow, pain WITH someone… When someone feels sorrow, to be compassionate mean being sorrow with him, and not for him…
Complaining with someone imply to be really close emotionally with someone, understand him/her feelings and feel them too…
That means that you are really joint to that person.
I don’t know if this is the real meaning of compassion, but i think it’s the one that i like most, because it needs of a concept of unity that all the human should understand…
Hope to have given to your curiosity and thinking a good field to work on Mattia
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egallucci Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 4:17 amHi Allison!!!
Compassion often combined with a desire to alleviate or mitigate the suffering of another person, and show special kindness to those who suffer. Compassion can lead one to feel empathy for another person. Compassion is often characterized through actions, in which a person acting in a spirit of compassion to help those searching for which is generous.
just this…
kiss!!!
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Robin Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 4:41 am“Just be honest” is something i’ve asked of others so many times.
Compassion is a term like others discussed on this blog so easy to use in conversation, in sentances and yet much harder to actually live by.
To me COMPASSION is term meaning understanding, forgiveness and of expressing unconditional love.
To live in a compassionate way is such an amazing concept and I am totally in awe of those that actively choose to live their own lives by this.
However I have to accept that I like all of us ar fundalmentally emotional beings.
The way we speak, interact with others, the way we move, stand and even dress is I believe based on whatever our emotional state is in that given moment.To have that ability to be able to divorce ourselves from expressing our own personal emotions and be able to show compassion towards others despite our own feelings is a very rare thing.
Is it right to deny our own decisions based on emotions including love, anger and grief or judgement?
Or would the World be a better place if all decisions were based on reflection, understanding and in a sense compassion?I have no real answer to this, only that just because something is difficult or might be impossible does not mean we should not at least stop us from striving to attain it.
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Angie Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 5:35 amWhen Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our salvation; he sacrificed himself to offer us hope. It’s the same reason that one soldier would give his life to save another – even if they barely know each other.
It’s the ability to look past “self” and truly and selflessly love and give of yourself for your fellow man. It may simply be to offer a ray of hope to someone with a shattered life or dream. Simply to pick up a child who has fallen down and give them hope and encouragement to try again – to believe in themselves.
Or it could be the ultimate, deep-seeded and instinctual act of giving your life for someone else. Sounds extreme, but how many of us would put ourselves in the line of fire for a child who is in danger? Without thinking, we would instinctually put ourselves in danger to save them. A personal relationship is irrelevant. It’s the inner man – the instinct that has driven us to self sacrifice.
Compassion isn’t just feeling something; it’s an act of selfless love. -
Gnome Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 5:42 amI think compassion is just a pretty word that we use to mask the really meaning of it: feel sorry for someone else and “think” that you understand what the other is feeling. Hypocrisy?
And “to be honest” we should stop trying so hard to mold us through a definition of a word. The fact is that we, as rational and emotional human being, are the ones who defined the meaning of the words, so when it started to be the other way around?
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lmdv07 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 6:23 amCompassion does involve some amount of sympathy, but I think more so, empathy. It’s the idea that you try to understand someone else’s pain/hardship and journey with them through that.
compassion is caring for and helping someone and expecting nothing in return, even if they don’t necessarily deserve it.
To sum it up and use a practical example, I think one person displayed compassion the most: Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of moments and acts of compassion, a lot of times when the people didn’t necessarily deserve it.
and in fact, I think there is a lot of compassion in superman. One thing that’s mentioned, especially in Smallville is Clark’s ability and choice to always see the good in people. -
Electra Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 6:53 amHello Allison,
That is an interesting post and brilliant questions. However, I’m sure Mahatma Ghandi did not mean that someone is violent who asks somebody else to be honest. Besides, do you actually realise what you stated within your post?
Quote: “…if you ask someone to do something you would never do yourself it is an inhumane act of enslavement.” …”…does that mean that if I ask someone to “be honest” …. that is, in fact, an inhumane act?”
- Well, only if to be honest or compassionate is something you would never do or never be. …and I guess to say you were never honest or compassionate is nonsense. It is scientifically proven that we are all liars – some more than others. Yet, this does not mean that we are lying all the time. I personally decided to be honest for I learnt early that the sooner or later one is much better off by telling the truth reps. being honest. This does not prevent me from being dishonest – subconsciously. So, what does it mean to be honest? To be honest is a choice, the choice to -consciously- tell the truth or lies. Is it inhumane or violent to ask someone to be honest? Well, certainly not in general. Yet, there can be situations in which the answer to this question must be “Yes, it is”. Fortunately such situations are outnumbered.
Compassion, what is it? It is the ability to sense the agony of others, knowing that what caused it is wrong. Compassion prevents us from harming others all the time for it lets us realise the other’s suffering and makes us feel sorry. So, if you feel sorry by seeing another creature suffer you are compassionate. The opposite of compassion is gloating. So, if somebody slips off a banana peel and tumbles down most of us start to laugh. Why? Because it makes us happy to see somebody else’s mischance for it did not happen to us. While being gleeful we don’t care about hurt. To be compassionate means to care and to realise. As a matter of fact most of us do care. Hence, the question is, do we realise and care enough? The answer is “no”. Just take a look at our planet and what we have done to Mother Nature, to all the animals and ourselves… the result of ambition and egoism. Maybe compassion helps us to make it better.
Quote: “Huh? How does that work? I find I spin in circles with this one. If I want a world of compassion and non-violence, and yet I am violent. I will “fight for peace!” What?“
- Make people open their eyes, learn them to see, to realise and to care. Truth comes within realisation when people acknowledge what they denied. Compassion will come after we start to realise, to realise that we need to care.
“To fight for peace”… Peace comes within the souls of man when they realise their oneness with the universe, when they realise it is really everywhere and is within each of us.
Take care,
Electra -
Jesse Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 6:56 amHi Allison
1. a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
I like this definition of compassion taken from dictionary.com. I feel that we know that compassion is in a sense a good thing. I don’t feel it is enslavement because you are asking them to try and me more compassionate or honest. You’re not forcibly telling them to do it, they have a choice. I know in your heart you feel it is a good thing and you want to express it to others but that’s not inhumane. Fight for peace is taking the negative which is violence and using it into a positive which is peace. So essentially what you are doing is you’re taking the wrong and turning it into a right. Like “fight the good fight” lift up your crosses and promote peace, benevolence and love. Ummm
-jesse
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Ruthie Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 6:58 amJust when I think I couldn’t feel any more disconnected with myself and Spirit you re-insert one of my favorite words (not only does its meaning resonate, but it has aesthetic quality too, which I love in a word) back into my latent vocabulary. Thank you. Compassion for me starts at home, first within, then reaching to those little ones in my circle. Mother Theresa once said that compassion is sometimes more easily shown to those weary souls with hungry stomachs far away from us, but so easy to neglect in our own homes. Yes, I would agree. How my heart goes out to the oppressed, the refugee, but does my heart feel and act with compassion for my children, my spouse, my friends, my community–myself? Why is this more difficult. Idealizing something is always more easily done than living it. So compassion is in my quiet place for contemplation and re-integration this week. This is why community is so important…why we need each other.
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Ross UK Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 7:04 amI think I can answer your question as to the definition of compassion, but in truth, do we really need one? You ask if it is reasonable for you to ask something of someone else when you cannot define it yourself. There are many abstract terms and feelings which everyone agrees exist but escape definition or understanding. Most people would struggle or fail outright to put a single definition to the word “love” for example – this does not disbar them from feeling it. Philosophers and theologists have struggled for millenia to define the abstract, to tame it if you will, but have not been entirely successful. You ask if it is wrong for you to ask compassion of others if you cannot define it, but just because you can’t find the words to explain something does not mean you don’t understand it yourself. From everything we’ve seen on this site and in the work you do, I think it’s clear that you do understand the meaning of compassion, even if you cannot put it into words, and you have every right to make a stand for it.
As to the definition of compassion: when we see other people suffering there are three levels of response. The first is sympathy, just feeling sorry for them. The next is empathy, actually understanding their suffering, usually from past experience. The last is compassion. It derives from the Latin word “compatior” which literally means “suffer together”. In English, compassion entails actually feeling the other person’s suffering and is usually coupled with the desire to alleviate it. It is sometimes described as empathy combined with altruism, but I don’t think this is necessarily correct. Sometimes the need to alleviate that pain is entirely selfish, but still compassionate. Have you ever heard someone say “I can’t stand seeing them like that”? In such a case any compassionate action you might take would arise from selfish motives, not just altruistic ones – by relieving their suffering, you relieve your own.
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angiesp Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 7:08 amCompassion, from Latin “cum patire”, synonym of sympathy, from ancient Greek “sym pathos”, both meaning “to feel… together”.
Compassion: the act of a human being who does not want to be alone and relays on others when a certain situation brings him or her unexpected emotion, either good or bad, joyful or sad.
Compassion: the act of a person who wants to share … feelings of love and pain.
To suffer together divides the sorrow, while to rejoice together intensifies the happiness.
It’s the human nature, no one can be alone whether it’s in a painful moment or a joyous one.
That is what compassion is.
To live, together.-Angie =)
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Intrepid01 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 7:53 amCompassion is the feeling that comes after empathy and before action.
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Solti Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 10:11 amHi Allison
!I’m glad that you are here again! OK, compassion… ”… is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeleng commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering… Do to others what you would have them do to you …” from Wikipedia & fight for piece = paradoxon lol .
With love:
Solti
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Sky DreamChaser Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 10:27 amSince you mentioned Ghandi, here is a quote I like from him:
“Where there is love there is life.”
You’ve probably received about 30 definitions of the word “compassion” so I’m not going into it. But, I am interested to know why you need to ask someone to be honest or compassionate.
Most of the times, when I ask someone to be honest, I am sending a signal to him/her that I am willing to listen and take any feedbacks (hopefully is constructive). It is my way of showing my trust and confidence in that person. Whether that person can be honest with me, it really depends on the closeness of our relationship and how much he/she really knows me. Typically, from my point of view, as long the person can be honest with me out of “love” rather than “anger”, I’m cool with it.
Compassion is really interesting… because I truly believe that everyone is different and there are different degrees of being compassionate. I might be compassionate in certain subjects, groups, believes, and values, but it might not apply to other people. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is difficult to ask someone to have the “same” compassions as me. But, I believe there is a huge difference between “love” and “cruel.” Just because I am not compassionate with something, I do not need to be cruel about it, instead, try to embrace it with “love.”
Again… this quote:
“Where there is love there is life”
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dohko Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 10:48 amHello Allison!
I’m new to your page,im mexican.
My English is not very good, if anything you do not understand, sorry ^^lol. Your page I found very interesting. Now,back to your question.
Compassion is an interesting word… mmm..i think it is a human feeling but distant,i mean, a sense of soul.
A feeling that makes us sensitive to the suffering of another entity;creating a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of others. But, i think the man is basically good and their nature is compassionate.
and aggression and violent behavior is influenced by biological, social, situational and environmental.
The perfect active compassion that is present inside the man. The other is indispensable and all aspects of life of each are the result of the efforts of others. Compassion also want good things for yourself and this step is essential to start being compassionate with others.
According to Dalai Lama: There are two kinds of compassion, which includes the attachment and expectation of the same for others and genuine compassion is one that is free from attachment.Compassion is the recognition of the genuine rights of others, not related to our personal interests and is the only way that generates compassionate love.
The more we understand the suffering of others the greater our capacity for compassion.
Compassion is not masochism because he voluntarily assumes the suffering of others with a higher purpose.
Basically, cruel people are unhappy because they suffer a harrowing sense of insecurity and fear, even while sleeping.
The development of compassion and altruism has a positive effect on physical and emotional health.
kisses, allison!!
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Ornella Santilli Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 11:12 am“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” HH the Dalai Lama.
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onemorecup Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 11:17 amAllison et, al:
Basic definition of compassion: Is the ability to show or otherwise feel sympathy, empathy, concern, kindness, consideration, care, passion, and the ability to feel, literally, on a higher plane, the love that transcends and flows through all of these emotions.
In addition to fully understanding the word compassion and therefore use it in a true contextual meaning, one must look at the three basic qualities of all words – cognitive, human interaction, and religious connotation – based on linguistics, meaning of course word origins.
Cognition is basically our mental processes, or our ability to think, learn, and strive to learn more than what is just physical or temporal. Therefore compassion when viewed through the lens of cognition is the ability to understand why we feel the about things we do; moreover, the ability to understand and feel what other’s are truly experiencing.
From the human interaction point of view it is literally love, kind, and caring support for all creatures. Compassion does not stop with humankind; furthermore, there are those who would argue that it starts with humankind.
Throughout the history of humankind one could not possibly argue against the impact and influence that religion has had on our lives. Seriously, just look around – hospitals, schools, books, churches, services – and so much more are accountable for education, well-being, and various services rendered within the community. From the Greek origin, ‘compassion’ means to have loving-kindness and mercy. This of course comes from the Greek word Agape which is the self-less aspect of loving. Many argue that this is indeed the highest form of love, whereby someone would die for their friends.
Interestingly in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, compassion is considered the root of all aspects of enlightenment.Sorry for the length…but compassion deserves it’s just ado! Cheers!
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Ornella Santilli Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 11:22 amMichael Jackson invited us to feel compassion for others:
“Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough
For the living
Make a better place
For you and for me” -
Ornella Santilli Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 11:28 am~ Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive ~ Dalai Lama.
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James Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 1:44 pmThe very last thing you said about being violent, and yet wanting a compassionate non-violent world struck me. It brings a quote to mind:
“Si vis pacem, para bellum”; if you want peace, prepare for war.
If you’re not willing to fight for something you believe in, on some level, then one does not really believe it. Because the very nature of belief, those certain unshakable truths that we live by, that for the most part are different for all of us, is an inevitable source of conflict.
These different truths that we all live by are not always perfectly coexistant. If you truly believe in peace, and you came across someone who did not, would you not try to convince them otherwise? If you say no, then you choose to act without compassion, if you say yes, then you choose to come into conflict with another.
Man can’t live in perfect harmony, because man can’t live without belief. Without a sense of truth. Without certainty. We’re not made to.
There’s a very good quote from a very superfluous source that says “Life is to long. If we are only meant to wander alone, searching for meaning in this world, life is much too long.” Meaning exists, because if it didn’t, nothing else would. The search for meaning causes belief, and belief causes conflict. A world of total compassion and no conflict would be a world without meaning. A fleeting existence of walking around with a big grin on our faces, but nothing at the core of us. Would that be a good world?
Try not to beat yourself up so much.
Sincerely,
James -
Just_Will Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 1:49 pmI wish I could define compassion, but the truth is…
I can’t. My first thoughts that come to mind, “am I a bad person for thinking that?” If I can’t define one of the most important words that make up what we define as being human, what does that say about me? I know that I’ve felt sympathy for a lot of things but when it comes down to it, did it hit me hard enough that I actually had the guts to do something about it? Very few times….and that’s being honest. Which opens that up,
I have never been completely honest with anyone in my life, and that makes me sad. In fact it hurts to think that I could never open up enough to let someone see the truth. Who I am as a person. Someone asks me to be honest its almost always fear that sets in and takes over.
And again its always easier said than done…….. -
Rebecca Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 3:00 pmThoughts…
I agree that compassion feels so much bigger than its technical definition. When I was looking at the textbook meaning of the word, I found this interesting bit about words related to “compassion.” The words listed were benevolence, charity, compassion, mercy, clemency, and leniency. The thing that struck me about this list is that, while all involve sympathy or empathy, the only two that feel accessible to me are charity compassion. The other words feel too grand, too assigned. They imply the ability to punish, but the decision to lessen a blow to another human. Maybe a judge or a world leader can show benevolence and clemency, and maybe a parent or teacher can show leniency or mercy. I am none of these things. Compassion is accessible and therefore it can become something we expect of ourselves even when we feel we don’t fully understand our own expectations. This is here nor there, but thanks for the lead-in to something interesting to ponder.I have a pet peeve regarding catch phrases such as “fight for peace.” Original intent of such slogans is so easily lost- they’re ironic and sometimes satirical, and that is missed by so many people. Before too long such phrases stew in mainstream culture and are regurgitated mindlessly, their original witticism lost. They leave people looking foolish when they become agitated and decide to FIGHT for social justice, etc. What?! What is wrong with “working” for, “striving” for, and collaboration?
Lastly, I agree with a writer above- to be honest is really to be blunt. ‘Nuff said.
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diego_dlrof Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 3:43 pmIt is true what you say, many people including me, asking many things, including honesty and compassion, as you say, but many times we ask for things or do things we do well or giving back, and could not define compassion.
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diego_dlrof Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 3:43 pmI l U Allison
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bluesgotsoul68 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 4:10 pmi think fighting for peace IS compassionate. i don’t think you can really ask it of anybody though. It’s like one of those things that defines a person. Asking someone to be honest is kind of different. im guessing you have compassion though for even wondering about it lol
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Smallvillekent Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 4:45 pmGlad your back Allison. Compassion is understanding of what others feel and be caring and helpful to them. I guess caring is the most important. Also being a good friend.
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Ems Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 5:47 pm -
Adam Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 6:48 pmHey there,
actually compassion seems to come quite naturaly to the human kind. But you’ll see what I mean. !0 years ago aproximately some researchers discovered what they called the “mirror neuron”. They observed that the same area that would be active if you would perform an action, or suffer one, this same area was also active when seeing someone else performing -or suffering- these actions. It only has to be something you can do yourself, not if it involves something you can’t do. Hence if you see someone cutting his finger with a knife, you really feel it with the etymologic sense of com-passion, meaning that you relate to it with the same part of your brain that would be active if you’d cut your own finger. That’s compassion !
ok well I just saw some light so here are my 3 cents. I also read a book by Albert Cohen recently where he advocates a lot for compassion, a little book where he tells his experience as a little jew of 10 and the antesimitic experience he had then in France, and how it changed his life for always. “O you, human brothers” may probably be a very poor translation of the title in english. And as I’m here I ask an inopinate last moment question : if we relate as humans as brothers, so important in friendship too, as a concept, and in politics, where is the place of the feminine in this humanity we relate on ?
Because history, hence religions, litterature, etc, has been written by men, we, both men and women are living on principles that are at the root infiltrated by a false universal, and that is to say : “we, as one man, we, brothers”. It will eventually be the woman role to be a kind of maternal figure we like to mythificate ( actually problem is with the femininists that they say other things but they are still also believing in this mythification !)ahhh – as always I went too far, going into uncharted improvised territories, probably saying some stupid things going by, and all that with the english of a madman drinking tea on a baseball field. Sorry, Allison – ahh but what would I not do just to feel a little of your compassion going through me ! lol
take care, everyone
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 7:59 pmJames Says:
“A world of total compassion and no conflict would be a world without meaning. A fleeting existence of walking around with a big grin on our faces, but nothing at the core of us. Would that be a good world?”Between earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, I propose we use American football to settle conflicts.
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Adam Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 8:01 pmHey there again,
I thought I said something stupid but this on the relation of feminine and masculine in the concept of humanity made me realise that maybe what happened is when we said in the past “let’s be brothers”, or “Men are equals” etc etc, we really didn’t encapsuled women in it. It’s like a Freudian thing. It’s so big it goes unseen, as the stolen letter case ( a wellknown analysis) where the letter is where everyone can see it. ( So by the way, if you want to “write a letter to a stranger”, and actually be red, do not let it where the person can obviously see it. Hide it. Or maybe you prefer to stay hidden in the bright light… No ?)Here it would be so obvious to say that ” hey you’re not speaking about our sisters here !”, that it was of course the better way to hide it ! Think about it : history has been made by men for the most part, and probably this way to define history is by itself male oriented. It is quite impressive to think that we’re living right now this “feminine liberation”, but at the same time, the liberation will take far longuer, as we can see most concepts have been conceived by the male oriented attitude. And what’s incredible is : we don’t even know what would be a feminine politic -not masquerading men. And more we can’t envision what would be a humanity really equal with men and women.
Of course one could could say “I don’t buy it, here’s the feminine and the masculine and it’s unrelated to male and female, meaning that we both have these two parts in us. Yeah, but it would not change that for thousand of years, it was the female sex that was dominated, and of course feminine is related to female, there’s no way to denie it ! So the feminine part would obviously had to be eclipsed. But we don’t have so much on who is dominating at home… Of course that would be a different history, the kind that men didn’t do… let’s say Nietzsche was one of the first to say life of a philosopher is as important as what he wrote, in order to understand it correctly. That something in life – like for him the death of his father at age 5 – would cause great philosophical perturbations – the concept of Eternal Return. of course that does not by itself obliterate the concepts. Nothing is pure of any crazyness, and that’s how we are. Where was I ?
Yes so in the end all the history since now was not about women. It is not right now neither. It’s still for the future. Ta ta ta tsin tsin ( here inserts the mains title of “Terminator”)Or not. But hey tonight it wanted to go there. Have a little compassion. In the bible compassion is regarded somewhere as the most important of all, maybe the Corinthiens. What is fun is the first thing Christians did historicaly is hating the Jews… looking for someone to blame for the death of Christ, etc. But Christianism is not Christ, it’s even the exact opposite (even if he may not have existed, but what importance ? we still understand what he said…
ciao
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Adam Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 8:16 pm)
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Bouroux Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 8:28 pmHi Allison.
Compassion for people who are not close to us is very different than for those who are.
For strangers, we have an open-minded, warm attitude, a good heart. We are more objective and less under the control of our emotions.
When it comes to our relatives, people we love, emotions influence our compassion.
If you want know what compassion is, look at a good mother and how she takes care of her infant child. That is the essence of compassion.
Sometimes we are responsible for the sorrows of our loved ones.
We take some decisions which are difficult to our parents and friends, but we believe that we must do it right or wrong.
How to show compassion when we caused the situation.
We can suddenly become people without compassion because we are personally involved. The reaction of our parents and friends can generate anger, frustration and misunderstanding.
Here are some feelings that are not compatible with compassion.
Compassion is to get into the skin of another. When we become parents, we can understand better what the word compassion means. Compassion is to accept not to judge others too quickly even their actions cause us trouble.With a better compassion we will become a better son, daughter, father, mother and friend.
Good night.
Claude -
thomas Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 8:32 pmcommon passion
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robsonrs Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 9:02 pmi think compassion is giving of yourself with no thought of reward. ²
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Susana Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 9:27 pmYay Allison your back!!! Glad to have you back on here
we missed you very muchI love this entry blog about compassion & what is it. Because I don’t fully understand it either I don’t have a clue as to what it means or why we should be this, there are several words I don’t really know what the meaning is because I don’t know how you just naturally have it or what like Faith I have it yet I don’t know if I do or not I don’t really understand it that well also love & hope all these are just another language that I hope to have accomplished sometime in the near future when I can understand more things right now I feel like i’m still growing as many of us so I hope to understand all these words
You are not alone Allison don’t worry
Take Care,
Susana
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ziggy_reaper Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 9:38 pmI have never herd that paraphrase of Gandhi but I don’t agree with it. To me that’s to much like The Golden Rule, treat others as you want to be treated. But that means you can treat people however you want as long as you don’t mind if they attempt to treat you the same way. You don’t treat people like you want them to treat you, you treat them as THEY wish to be treated. So no asking people to do something you would not do or do not fully understand is not immoral. It might be unreasonable but not immoral.
As far as what compassion is. It is an emotion just ike other emotions. To me trying to define compassion would be as impossible as trying to define love. As humans we get to caught up in explaining everything with words. If you have felt compassion you know what it is. Whether or not you can put words to it does not matter.
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Marfeic2011 Says:
September 1st, 2009 at 10:06 pmFirst of all the TWITTER reminder was cool – otherwise I never would have known about this topic.
To me compassion is not about right or wrong, it is having grace for what another person needs in that moment. Compassion then can mean different things in different situations, but overall I think it means bending to the needs (emotional, physical, spritual, etc) of someone else because they have need of your mercy or kindness in whatever circumstance it is.
Sometimes compassion is lying when you know the person cannot bear the truth.
Sometimes compassion is stealing when the alternative is a friend dying of hunger.
Sometimes compassion is turning someone in because you know it is really what is best for them at the moment.
Compassion then, in my opinion, is not bound by typicall moral conventions, but is a type of grace that conforms to whatever is needed in the moment, and grows out of a love for another human being/s.
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choosehopenow Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 amRecognizing the suffering of others, empathizing with them and then opening up your heart in some way to show you care.
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Michi Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 amIn German we have more words for compassion. Among others “Mitleid” and “Mitgefühl”. Mitleid = mit=with and leid=sorrow. I don´t like to say “Mitleid”. It´s even stated to people who are to weknesses character for example “You are so bad, I feel only sorry for you”.
It´s delivers for me that I´m pity with somebody, but thats all.
I say rather “Mitgefühl”. I feel with the person. I feel with someone I better understand him. That´s my view.
Have a nice dayMichi
I say rather “Mitgefühl”. -
IreneT Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 amI was going to give you a list of definitions that I found, but in my experience, I have found that ‘Compassion’ is easy to define. It is Love in action, or an act of love.
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kelwenzera Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 pmCompassion never gonna be defined, like: Love, Sorrow, Angry, i dont know.. or, be a human. Do good things to another person, help a defective person to cross de street, maybe. Can be a lot of things, but, certainly, is a thing connected with be a good human who helps, who show compassion. You will know when this person release this feeling.
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dortoto Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:54 pmcompassion is the care, pain, love, hurt, anguish and joy we feel without expecting anything in return.
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Lyka Marques Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:16 pmCompassion…
Love, patience, mercy and action!
It was what Jesus did and do… and nobody better him to teach us! -
Adna Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 pmCompassion is love, understanding, putting yourself into somebody else’s shoes for a while. It is a new perspective.
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 pmYou know, I always wondered if the UK is satisfied with being frozen with a now permanent royal family. Without civil war, how could any family challenge the right to claim the Crown from the sitting dynasty? That’s right! I dare the royal family to take on all challenging families for a duel to take the ceremonial head dynasty of the UK! The means? American football!!! The dynasty’s team that wins the Royal Bowl, gets to hold the crown for the next 50 years without challenges!
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 pmOf course, I guess the royal family would rather choose polo. +snicker+
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madman77 Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 amCompassion is “One who shows mercy.”
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fons Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:21 amglad you’re back, Alison!=D the past few days i’ve been watching Smallville reruns in our place and it made me think, you and the character you portray in the show, Chloe, really have a lot in common. You’re both nice, smart..
Anyways..compassion? I don’t really know what it means. But maybe it makes me feel good. Maybe it’s the feeling I get when I extend myself to people beyond my circle. I don’t really know how to describe it. Maybe it is, (let me borrow a phrase our Benedictine Sister slash highschool principal once wrote on our yearbook), being a woman for others.
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Ross UK Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 amJade Ruby, I don’t think most Britons ever think about there being no change to the ruling family – most discussion tends to revolve around whether we should have a royal family at all. I think people would agree that if we’re gonna have a royal family, the current one has as much right to it as anyone has to their inheritance. Most people are happy to leave the royal family be since they don’t really do much other than charity work and bring in tourists – although we’re nominally a monarchy, the crown pretty much rubber-stamps parliament, which is democratically elected.
Besides, if there was gonna be a free-for-all it would be football (soccer), or maybe rugby or cricket, but definately not American football – no one plays it here. Hmmm… they used to call cock-fighting “the sport of kings” – do you think they should bring it back for special occasions like this? By the way, why do you guys call it football when you don’t use your feet?
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:59 amRoss UK, American football started out as rugby football until the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925). I don’t think you need any chicken fights for the Crown!
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 amI just watched Allison’s directing extra.
Good job Allie! -
kris7884 Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:46 amCompassion is “walking a mile [or more] in someone else’s shoes” Only when we try to put ourselves in anothers place can we really understand what they might be going through or where the may be coming from. The ultimate example of this is God. He had compassion on us when He sent his Son Jesus to us in human form.
“[Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16
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laura_sheets Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:25 amWords don’t do Compassion justice.
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Smallvillekent Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:21 pmI just picked up the Smallville 8th season DVD. Jade Ruby you are right. Allison did a excellent job in directing extra. They work very hard but also have a fun time doing it. Go Chlark!
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:39 pmSmallvillekent, I’m so happy that she’s getting another opportunity this season to direct another episode and sharpen her skills.
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mark4851 Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 7:56 amI cannot describe compassion for i cannot find the words. i could not describe love for the same reason. They are feelings that come from deep inside oneself that we instincively know but could never fully define.
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lordkinbote Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pmCompassion, to me, is akin to empathy. Perhaps empathy is the beginning of compassion. I think you empathize with someone or something in that you feel, it can be in varying degrees, what some other creature feels. But, that’s only the beginning. Compassion seems to have more to do with empathizing with some creature that has a plight and then reacting to that feeling of empathy, whether it be in doing something physically, or saying something about it or even consciously thinking it. It is making a conscious decision to feel and acknowledge the plight of some other living creature. At least, that’s what it means to me, off the top of my head.
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lordkinbote Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 6:50 pmOne thing that relates to compassion is a great quote I heard (on the new version of Dragnet that came out a few years ago, of all places) about the nature of “evil.” If I recall, the episode involved a murdered woman who had been, it seemed, working as a high-priced escort. When her very conservative twin sister was notified of her death, the sister basically said that she reaped what she sowed and basically got what she deserved because she led an evil lifestyle. Detective Friday then said to her, “My grandmother always told me that ‘evil’ was the lack of compassion.” It shut the woman up and made me ponder that it is probably THE best definition I ever heard of “evil,” which is such a vague term and all too often gets wrapped up in religious rhetoric when it isn’t necessarily religious at all. This definition makes it much easier to define evil actions, if not an evil person.
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anyelyna Says:
September 4th, 2009 at 8:20 pmThe Dalai Lama said once this of the compassion and i like to share it with you especially with my dear friend Allison:
We call compassion to the aptitude to feel near the pain of the others and the will to relieve his sorrow, but often we are unable to take to the practice what we propose ourselves, and this beautiful word dies without having given his fruits.
What is the compassion? The compassion is the desire of which the others are free of suffering. Thanks to her (it) we aspire to reach the lighting; it is the one that inspires us to beginning in the virtuous actions that they lead to the condition of the buda, and therefore we must direct our efforts to his development.
I think that it is a beautiful definition, God gave to us this wonderful feeling, and to learn to use it is difficult. Day after day we must try for approaching more the people and to try to help and try them to feel his pain as ours to be able to feel the real feeling of compassion.
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Ivy Icetree Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 7:13 am“How can I claim to stand for something I can’t define?”
You can claim it through your actions. Maybe that’s why it can’t be defined… Compassion is more action than word.
“Have you ever asked someone to just “be honest”? What is that? Can you define this process for you? Ghandi said (and I am paraphrasing terribly), if you ask someone to do something you would never do yourself it is an inhumane act of enslavement.”
If you ask someone to be honest (or compassionate, or whatever), it’s simply a want and need for the truth. If you ask someone to do something you would never do yourself it is an inhumane act of enslavement because hypocrisy will imprison you. But in the case of honesty and compassion, if you show such acts, then you don’t fall into the category of hypocrisy. You want the truth because you tell the truth, and you want compassion because you show compassion.
“So, essentially, does that mean that if I ask someone to “be honest” or “be compassionate” and yet I have no understanding of what this even means to me, that is, in fact, an inhumane act?”
No. You don’t have to understand the meaning. All you have to do is to do what you say. I think Gandhi meant that if you yourself don’t follow what you say (equivalent to hypocrisy), then you commit an inhumane act.
“I will “fight for peace!” What?”
Yeah, the world can be such a paradox. The best way to have peace is to stop war, though. That’s it. But if one side won’t give up, then neither will the other. It goes in circles. It’s a vicious cycle.Basically it’s the definition that you’re after. I suppose, at this point, what really should matter is faith.
I once asked a friend why we were friends, and he said, “Is there some sort of surety you need in knowing the “why” of a friendship? Some things just are…like religion and their higher beings. Some things are taken on faith.”
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smalls Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 6:33 pmI think that compassion means to try and understand what someone is feeling. Naturally we can’t always no what someone is feeling since we don’t experience the exact same hardships, and heartaches that everyone else does. If we say we have compassion we are trying our best to understand what someone is feeling and have support.
With honesty I think that although we can be honest by not telling lies to the people around us, we need to be honest with ourselves as well. We need to realize the mistakes we are making and instead of lying to ourselves about our mistakes accept that they have happened and try to fix them. -
Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 8:33 pmWow…thats interesting stuff about the origin of ‘compassion’ Matt. I had no idea where the word originated from.
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Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pmThat’s an excellent response Robin. I think your question may actually be more difficult to answer than Allison’s! However I completely agree with your final comment. Even if something seems extremely difficult, it may prove less impossible than you first imagined it might be. That shouldn’t prevent us from attempting to accomplish our goals.
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Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 11:07 pmTo suffer together divides the sorrow, while to rejoice together intensifies the happiness.
It’s the human nature, no one can be alone whether it’s in a painful moment or a joyous one.
That is what compassion is.
To live, together.
-I love the way you quoted that angiesp, and I’m really starting to love this topic Allison. -
Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 11:17 pm“Life is to long. If we are only meant to wander alone, searching for meaning in this world, life is much too long.” Meaning exists, because if it didn’t, nothing else would. The search for meaning causes belief, and belief causes conflict. A world of total compassion and no conflict would be a world without meaning. A fleeting existence of walking around with a big grin on our faces, but nothing at the core of us. Would that be a good world?
-James I love and agree with your entire last paragraph.If everyone were happy all the time then we wouldn’t be human. There needs to be a balance of good and bad, otherwise good isn’t really good and bad isn’t really bad. Unless the two words exist together, they are meaningless.
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Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 11:22 pmEms: thanks for sharing givesmehope. I love it…
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Beth Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 11:42 pmBetween earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, I propose we use American football to settle conflicts.
-hilarious Jade -
Jade Ruby Says:
September 5th, 2009 at 11:49 pmBeth Says:
“Between earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, I propose we use American football to settle conflicts.
-hilarious Jade ”Thanks Beth, I’m glad you think so.
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coffeerox Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 3:22 amSince everyone’s trying to define what compassion is, that is something I won’t do. Instead, let me offer you my view on compassion. I think that in this world, there’s not a lot of compassion going on. People step over each other because they lack compassion for a human being. So how would you go about understanding compassion? The answer lies within yourself. Only you can understand compassion and it’s something that YOU want to feel for another and it can only be gained after going through life in one way or another.
Being compassionate can apply to all sorts of situations, using it will be different. If you don’t try to apply it when the situations come up, then how will you learn what compassion really is?
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smalls Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 7:50 pmI totally agree with you coffeerox. People tend to not be compassionate with the people around them. It seems that people are only concerned with themselves and not the world around them.
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adrenaline Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 9:19 pmCompassion: A sympathetic awareness of anothers suffering or adversity coupled with a desire to alleviate it.
Honest: means to be truthful and free of fraud. Honesty requires you to be fair in dealing with others—straightforward, honorable, not deceptive or misleading. An honest person is a man of integrity. Being always trustworthy, he will never cheat his fellowman
Anyways, I think these concepts (although can be defined in a dictionary) are still very vague and generally unclear at times. But I think if you ask someone to “be honest” and you’re not then that’s being unkind. But I think if a person truly is looking for the answer to these concepts and trying to cultivate them is a good thing. As long as we try.
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TherapeuticRambling Says:
September 6th, 2009 at 11:38 pmIt’s what we hope we have when others don’t. I wonder sometimes if we’ve confused it with empathy, which shares the awareness of someone else’s suffering, but it doesn’t include a desire to change it.
Think feeling bad for homeless people and defenseless animals….but not doing anything to help them.
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kaliber Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 9:44 amI did not read all the rest of the comments, so I do not know if this was mentioned, but I wanted to point out that a “fight for peace” is not about violence, it is about struggle. Fighting (in the sense that you are struggling) for peace and a compassionate, non-violent world is not hypocritical in the least.
As far as considering asking someone to “be honest” or “compassionate” to be an “inhumane act of enslavement” when you cannot satisfy a need to personalize their definitions…you (presumably) have an innate understanding of the concepts. These concepts seem to be something that either you (as in, you, Allison Mack, not the general “you”) can do, or strive to do. To ask someone to do something that you cannot does not make it wrong, it makes us individuals. We each have our strengths and weaknesses, our abilities and our shortcomings. Seeing another succeed in something that we have previously failed at can give us the strength, motivation, or wisdom on how to now achieve it ourselves.
No one can be 100% honest, no one can be 100% compassionate. It can be a guiding theme for our lives, but there will always be fleeting moments (at best) where we do not live up to these ideals.
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 1:12 pmkaliber Says:
“No one can be 100% honest, no one can be 100% compassionate. It can be a guiding theme for our lives, but there will always be fleeting moments (at best) where we do not live up to these ideals.”I can understand that. As for me, for better or for worse, I just have yet to feel jealousy; however, I do have fleeting moments of envy. I have never had long sustained periods where I’ve been envious of anyone, it’s usually over in about 3 minutes or less. Anger though, that’s a different story. That’s how come I can understand when Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian mystics recommend dispassionate compassion. Hence, most people around here know the sayings of “Turn the other cheek,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
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Mario Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 5:49 pmhello there,
i hope this will help you, but i hope it will help me understand as well. compassion through Nietzsche’s view is something terrible, that people who can’t understand use it to feel about something or to describe a certain feeling. he said that fear and the fact that you acknowledge that emotion is the right path, but also he said that he felt compassion for himself, which confused him. from my point of view, compassion is attempt to understand others emotions, to reach out to them. and you can be a compassionate person, even though you did terrible things. trust me on this, not speaking from my own meandering experience, but i’ve lived my share of life at full-throttle and some of my friends, who aren’t reliable people, or who are greedy, they managed to let themselves go and help me. that is true compassion in my own point of view.
Forget yourself just for a bit, forget that the other person you’re trying to help feels anything at that precise moment, and just be there. Even your simple presence in someones life, could actually be acknowledged as compassion. Allow others to know you, to reach that tiny space which you won’t let anyone invade. -
neeza Says:
September 7th, 2009 at 5:56 pmCompassion is taking sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Compassion can be pity, sympathy, empathy, care, concern, solicitude, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, leniency, tolerance, kindness, humanity, charity.
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Jade Ruby Says:
September 8th, 2009 at 5:18 amMario Says:
“Forget yourself just for a bit”.Ah, but that’s the crux isn’t it? As was said over two millennia ago, “That’s like trying to hold smoke in your hands!”
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Beth Says:
September 8th, 2009 at 9:28 amI agree Jade. In terms of trying to forget yourself, the ‘it’ continues to want what it wants, even when the mind knows better.
It seems impossible to be selfless ALL the time. Sad but true…although there’s nothing stopping one from attempting to be selfless all the time. -
choleyd Says:
September 8th, 2009 at 12:39 pmCompassion is walking in someone’s life when the world has walked out…
Honesty is sharing and living the truth to set others free…even yourself.
-Nichole DiVietro
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william Says:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:08 pmhey allison, nice to hear from you: I think compassion inculdes caring about the suffering of others so that you are moved to take action and help them.
honesty is always telling the truth, and living truthfully.
great blog as always
william -
Jade Ruby Says:
September 9th, 2009 at 2:49 pmBeth,
The mind will always have it’s conflicts for most of us. But we should make those attempts of becoming the prototype (or Archetype) of what we idealize as a Human Being for ourselves, until the very last breath breathed.
Being born as a human being gives us that unique opportunity here on Earth to have those conceptions of what perfection may be for us. We can not reach our own idealizations (well most of us anyways), but there it is in our minds as a goal to strive for. Stumble and fall maybe, yet it still is there for us when we pick ourselves up to try again.
Here in the States as many scream over and over again, “Dollar, dollar bill ya’ll!” Few actually turn that dollar over to see our Great Seal, which is there to remind everyone that material things only bring about a limited amount of self fulfillment. Each time our President steps up to his podium to speak, there it is again to tell us that where there is a promise of peace, there is hope for our tranquility to reach for that goal of Human destiny, sought after lo these thousands of years, in most of Humanity’s cultures.
Therefore Beth, one can indeed make that attempt at selflessness, mayhaps even catch that elusiveness in a jar.
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curley247 Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 8:11 amI belive compassion is a Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
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camycats Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 9:01 amHELLO ALLISON…How are you? Hope all is well…first time posting, forgive me if I ramble!
For weeks now I’ve seen you post this on Twitter, thought it over and over, and wondered how could I answer this one myself? Then today came, September 11th. I think today is a good definition of the word compassion. Just watching the special coverage on TV automatically triggers that emotion in a human being. When you begin to see and feel the sadness in others (through a box), “compassion” is in play, it’s automatic, I think. The dictionary defines compassion as…..”a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” Pretty elaborate for a word, I think. But I think it could relate to the simple sayings “act of kindness” or “being sympathetic”; all human emotions. I don’t think we as human beings fully understand the truest meanings of certain terms, but we do our best to live by them the way they are defined whether it be from books, our parents or our teachers. And like the sayings go “do unto others…” or “practice what you preach”, most of us live our lives just like that. Yes, from time to time, we forget to be compassionate, we have bad days, but then we take a step back and maybe redefine compassion in our own little way, live it the way we personally think it is defined. What it comes down to is “being a good person, being kind, being true”, the best way we can. As a mother, I have my own personal definition of compassion and that’s pretty much explained above. I don’t know you personally, but from what I read online and can see from your fans, that you seem to be a compassionate person. People who love you and know you personally, KNOW THAT YOU ARE A COMPASSIONATE PERSON. If you believe that you are and are confident that you are, then you won’t have to question it any longer. Good luck to you!
<3 Peace & Be Well!
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camycats Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 9:12 amP.S. Here’s a few different definitions of ANOTHER word that we can probably relate to Compassion —another human emotion, PASSION! (Btw, #s skipped didn’t relate to what you were inquiring about)
pas-sion [pash - uh n]
1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.4. an instance or experience of strong love (or sexual desire).
6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.
7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion within him.
8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.
9. violent anger.
10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one’s nature or one’s customary behavior (contrasted with action ). -
Jade Ruby Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pmcamycats Says:
“Just watching the special coverage on TV automatically triggers that emotion in a human being. When you begin to see and feel the sadness in others (through a box), “compassion” is in play, it’s automatic, I think.”There is a thing about attempting to separate the cognitive ability of Human Beings that have not actually been smack dab in a horrible experience; and yet can relate with their own tears, even though they weren’t there personally. To me to have to add-’through a box’ when speaking of something like 9/11 is insulting to the consciousness of the Americans who witnessed that event utilizing the technology of television. As you can witness right now through these mere words, there is a transmission of symbols of communication where we attempt the translation of our subjective thoughts to reach into the brains of others. We can’t all be in the same place at the same time (yet), so we are here trying our best to reach world wide with what we can use.
Newsworthiness:
Civil war photographer Mathew B. Brady under fire with a battery before Petersburg, Va., June 21, 1864. Brady, in the foreground, is wearing a straw hat.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/kmx8y4 -
sarahthelyd Says:
September 11th, 2009 at 7:01 pmthe most extreme display of compassion that the world will ever witness, is to lay down one’s life for someone else. it’s the greatest form of love, compassion, and sacrifice.
allison, this is a [potentially embarrassing] long shot, but i want to work with parvati creative inc. “human-centric films as seen through a female lens” … this is my passion, and i’ve done some work for the stage with this as my dictum, but i am so small, my projects reach no further than a small student audience at a coffee shop. or a black box theatre. which is GREAT, of course – sometimes, it’s worth it, if just for that one person who walks away changed. but eventually, i want to be a part of something that touches the world. parvati creative inc. sounds like a great medium for that.
i’ll gladly talk to you or another agent of communication between us, but please don’t let this fall on deaf ears. like i said, though, i know this is a long shot.
i look forward to hearing from you. reach me at coolbeanswaco@yahoo.com.
peace & blessings,
-sarah -
Robin Says:
September 12th, 2009 at 4:56 pmThanks for the kind comments Beth.
I’ve really enjoyed reading so many varied, interesting and compelling view points regarding compassion.
This topic has really got me thinking about my own interactions with others, about my day to day interaction with each and every person and how I could and in try to work so much harder at just being better at understanding, listening and sharing… -
Lourens Says:
September 13th, 2009 at 7:35 amThe Latin of the word is easy to break down and does give us some insight to its fuller implications. Com-together + Passion-suffering. The word passion does not refer to the modern context of that which I deeply desire. So simply said compassion is to suffer with someone else, to feel the suffering that they feel.
This does not imply agreeing or disagreeing with someone, but being affected emotionally by their experience and supporting them. In the Bible Job is down and out, and his friends is crapping on him. He accuses them that he needed friends to support and carry him during a difficult time. What their opinions of his circumstances are, are irrelevant.
Jesus especially showed compassion to people who was down and out, the outcasts of his time, those who could not care for themselves due to cultural stigmas. The Greek word used in the Bible, translated into English as compassion denotes that the whole being of a person is touched, and that ones intestines turned because of it. This is not literal, but denotes the depth of emotion Jesus felt for people in need. He always does something to help those towards whom Jesus feels “compassion” because the depth with which another’s suffering is felt makes it difficult not to, at least for Jesus.
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Smallvillekent Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 3:59 pmAllisons fans sure know compassion.
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mildmannered Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 5:30 pmI think compassion is finding that one thing you really care about.
That one special thing that means more to you than anything else in the world.
And when you find her, you fight for her.
You risk it all, you put her in front of everything, your life, all of it.
And maybe the stuff you do to help her isn’t so clean.
You know what? It doesn’t matter.
Because in your heart you know, that the juice is worth the squeeze.
that’s what it’s all about.
:] -
Lost Soul Says:
September 14th, 2009 at 6:54 pmCompassion Is ….
Love
Friendship
Wisdom
Grief
Truth
HeartCompassion is a companion of every emotion
compassion is something thats not limited to people we care about & Love it extends beyond any boundries thats have been made by man ,though Race,Gender,Species compassion extends to all walk’s of life . But mind you compassion is not easy it’s not something we are born with , Compassion is something we gain with time & experience .
I think R.W. Emerson. say’s it well ,
“The years teach much which the days never know” & J.A. Froude said “Experience teaches slowly ,and at the cost of mistakes” We all feel compassion every single living creature on this planet , we may not understand it we may not be able to define it ,but non the less compassion is apart of our lives and forever will be, i Hope . But Surpose it’s out of our hands, Cause Time Is The Grand Instructor. -
adriano henri Says:
September 15th, 2009 at 12:17 pm“Compassion is therefore an open unconditional own heart, an unconditional gift of their own energy, so that the other be able to overcome their difficulties”
Hi Allison, I’m from Brazil, São Paulo, despite living far I love your work, you’re beautiful I love those green eyes that seem two diamonds rare.
excuse the errors of English.
kisses.
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adriano henri Says:
September 15th, 2009 at 12:42 pmhi beautiful, when you will come to Brazil so I can introduce you to the wonderful Brazilian paissagens.?
I asked a wise
there was a difference between love and friendship.He told me this truth:
Love is more sensitive,
Friendship safer.Love gives us wings,
Friendship the ground.In Love is more caring,
Friendship in understanding.Love is planted
and lovingly cultivated
Friendship comes cheek,
and the exchange of joy and sorrow,
becomes a great and beloved companion.But when the love is sincere
it comes with great friends,
and when the friendship is real,
It is full of love and affection.ps. I hope we can be great friends!
we?kisses.
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kyle Says:
September 16th, 2009 at 11:36 amcomposure maintain withstand sustain pain
give take grieve live hope hold help held
all life once lived taken shaken make
in dream alive strive thrive we scream
told sold slaved behaved sleep awake
eat bathed drink thirst quench staved
choice made loved stayed only hate
lathed betrayed heard word begin graved
lost heart start part soul starved clear
away near hurt fear there cant bare.“compassion”
something i wrote years ago. i think compassion may be relative to each person’s capacity for selfless giving, along with what volume they can bear of another person’s burden. to ask for honesty and compassion is not inhumane; they are very good things. without understanding exactly what they mean to you, understand that you and whomever you share with may as well be without full understanding or ability to be what these words desire. and fight doesn’t always mean physical or violent; it can be a word for the struggle to achieve something. live for peace.
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7thsomebody Says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 amCompassion: In my opinion it is – to love that which you don’t know or understand. to empathise with a person you may never meet, a person you have no vested interest in. to have your heart pulled in a direction and your pulse rise in relation to someone/something unrelated to you. To put it simply if love is personal then compassion is the feeling mimicked towards that which is not personal
x7thx
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Brittany Says:
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:23 pmHey Allison!!!! How’s it going???? I hope you are doing well! Compassion for me is to care for others, to be aware of what is happening to people and in what ways we could possibly help. Having the urge or feeling to do something.
Much love & support,
Brittany XOXOXOXOXOXOXO -
camycats Says:
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:40 pmHELLO ALLISON…..I see you’ve moved on beyond the “definition of compassion” thought. I’m sure you got some pretty good responses from what I’ve read so far (still reading more myself)
I’m actually writing in to respond on Post #109 Jade Ruby, who hopefully reads this. I did not mean to offend he/she or anyone by saying those few words, honestly. I was merely describing what I was doing, watching the past events of 9/11 on television —which is the word I should have used “TV”. The fact that I was just “watching” it through television was a big impact on me and it did bring back some memories as well. I too, was affected, but I was blessed as well and I thank God for watching over me that day. You see, I’m from New Jersey, I commuted everyday on the PATH train that stopped underneath those towers. That morning I was running late, my husband (fiance at the time) kept calling my cell phone and finally managed to stop me while I was driving already half way to the train station. He told me what was going on, I took the u-turn back home and then turned on the television. To watch everything happening just through my TV (through a box), not being able to reach out and help, not being able to speak to anyone because phone lines were down, wondering what was going on, why is it happening, what am I supposed to do, feeling helpless, watching everyone else in need and not being able to do anything for them myself….That, dear Jade Ruby, is what I was merely trying to explain, that’s all. So, I did not want to offend anyone and I apologize to you again and in advance if there is anyone else out there who misunderstood my words……Peace be with you & Be well!
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featherywings Says:
September 27th, 2009 at 12:02 amEmpathy through action.
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bwhited1968 Says:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:07 pmWOW! You really go deep, huh?
Compassion to me is the lost art of gentleness. It is being able to just for once, set our own needs aside, and concentrate on the needs of another. Being able to really see another’s point of view and allow ourselves to feel their pain and soothe the pain that person, or creature is feeling is compassion.
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Russgif Says:
October 16th, 2009 at 3:20 amThe Collins English Dictionary defines compassion as: a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another! this I can relate to as my brother was in a coma for a long time and is now brain damaged! I believe I showed/had compassion for my brother, but I also believe that it is something that is shown and not too often talked about (the feeling of compassion). Some people may say that compassion is for the weak, i say it is for the strong! Those certain few people in the world that feel emotions for other people, before concerning themselves with their own life! I think compassion is self giving via emotional thought!!
I still believe in a world of good versus evil, compassion is one thing that shows the good in people!
Russgif x
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hayley33 Says:
October 16th, 2009 at 2:54 pmTo be compassionate, one must first lose their innocence, for one cannot be innocent and compassionate at the same time.
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samadams Says:
October 16th, 2009 at 10:46 pmI don’t know exactly what you would call it, but I think compassion is when you without even thinking about it give your self. There is nothing to stop you from reaching the person you are worried about except things that cannot be helped. It is a feeling that there is nothing else to worry about. I’m sure you show compassion more than you think and don’t even know it whether that definition is right or not.
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rward9182 Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:29 pmCompassion, is when your eyes and your you heart meet, your eyes are open an see another for who they truly are. From that comes a reaction to others vulnerability and need;you become moved into action.That action is clothed in love and gentleness, a whisper rather than a shout. When a person is compassionate to another they are not higher or greater than the other, but equal.It is the needy serving the needy, because there is not as much separating us from one another as we think.
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samar Says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:04 pmHi Allison
hope you are well
this is my first time writing to you, so i thought i should introduce myself first.
My name is Samar (pronounced summer) and I am from Pakistan living in Saudi Arabia.
I have been watching smallville for a while now. I always related to the character of Chloe and admire your portrayal of her very much. So i wondered what you were like in real life. I stumbled upon your blog a while back and was absolutely delighted to see that you share your thoughts with your fans and well wishers.
I loved reading your entries, i dont feel like a stranger while reading them even though i come from a different part of the world i connect to what your are saying and you seem like a friend i have had a few conversations with before already!
about compassion..
I believe compassion is understanding with care and respect towards the other.
you need to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes to understand why they are the way they are, that connection and your reaction to that connection, of how you help and care for the other person, is compassion. ( isn’t that ironic with all the suicide bombing going on at my side of the world?! and let me say that’s a great example of the LACK of compassion!)
About honesty..
I think honesty has a deep connection with truth. Being honest to yourself is actually facing the truth yourself and being honest to others by telling it or acting upon it. If you have two faces, one for the world and one for yourself then you are neither being honest to others nor to yourself.
understanding is necessary in order to act on both compassion and honesty.
sometimes both things can be painful and in order to escape that pain or inconvenience people disregard them selfishly.
It is unfortunate that in the world of today when everything is so easy and accessible, and the world getting smaller, people are less compassionate and less honest than they used to be.. is it because boundaries are easier to cross, there are less limits, less privacy more competition, less respect?..
I believe it does all come down to you as an individual.
what Gandhi said is quite true.
If you expect others to do what you don’t want to do, then there’s no equality amongst you.. and that’s discrimination which is inhumane, its like looking down at people, that would be a kind of enslavement wouldn’t it?
i hope this helped
because i am not good with words, i am actually more of a visualizer
anyway lots of best wishes
say hello to Tom welling from me!
I find the concept of superman very interesting if you look at it philosophically. but that’s a discussion in itself so ill leave that for some other day!take care!
samar -
samar Says:
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pmoh .. also id like you to check this out
http://charterforcompassion.org/
its a really nice effort for equality and peace!
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dowajo Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 8:17 pmI can understand showing compassion. There are a lot of suffering people out there. But it won’t change unless we change our mentality. Egalitarian relationships. That’s a start
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Dream_Walker Says:
November 29th, 2009 at 6:12 amAs once quoted here…. “Compassion is the emotional glue that keeps you rooted in the universality of the human experience, as it connects you to your essence and to the essence of those around you. It is the act of opening your heart”
I find this quote to sum it all up the best. All i can add is compassion to me is the act of sharing and caring about others, without any remorse or selfbenefit, the need to help and be helped. I find it to be one of THE most important things that makes “Humanity” as such… Cheers,DW
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WhoisWorthyToAknowledge Says:
November 30th, 2009 at 12:50 amPain….all i can say is no person who hasnt even experienced pain to begin with can truly understand someone elses pain,
even a foolish selfish person with no compassion can come to understand others pain/hurting once they know what pain is,
those who experienced pain grow and mature faster than anyone else ever could.
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mjones Says:
December 1st, 2009 at 1:41 amGhandi is superbly proper in this discussion. He was the ultimate..
Compassion as i’ve come to learn is the complete and utter surrender to a cause greater than ourselves. A sacred act of humankind which reminds us of our capability, our potential, and our love. Our humanity.
Ghandi meant to for us to lead ourselves away from manipulation and control, which is a form of enslavement. Remember, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”.
Great topic
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WhoisWorthyToAknowledge Says:
December 1st, 2009 at 2:31 amwhoops i left one thing out after the last line in my comment above i forgot to add:
and are also capable of more compassion
for people aswell.Your character in smallville is awsome
very unpredictable i think keep up the good work!!! -
estrellangelica Says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 pmhi Allison! New here, I have to say I’m positively surprised and delighted to discover so interesting topics.
If you want to enjoy life, and by that I mean understand it, this is the kind of questions we should all ask to ourselves at some points. So thanks for giving me this opportunity… I really like that kind of interrogations.
So, compassion? Without a dictionary of course, because this is simply not the way -to pick up some “all ready sentences”-, I would first have in mind that compassion implies to see anyone with a pure sentiment, without judging, accepting his differences and style of life without negative thoughts. In a higher level, it would imply a deeply caring feeling toward any living thing and to be able, without restraint, to give yourself in order to improve the world sufferings. “Compassion” for me is totally different than “pity” feelings, even if it can imply that at a low level. I think to reach the state of “pure” compassion, you have to be in peace with yourself, to feel complete and the best of you ; only then, you are really able to compassionate about misfortunes of the world and suffer from each one of them.Thanks again. Hoping next topics like this!
Take care. Estelle -
dowajo Says:
December 7th, 2009 at 6:51 pmif you want to understand Gandhi better, listen to Giselle the supermodel on YouTube. if you want to appreciate Catherine Keener a bit more, watch some Tim Allen on Home Improvement also on YouTube
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thehumanscorch Says:
December 20th, 2009 at 1:06 am=Compassion= is when you can feel another’s pain. That feeling then draws you into a state of empathy, and you become moved to try and help alleviate your now shared pain, in the name of love.
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Lea Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:29 amHi Allison
I just saw your blog and found it very interesting, here is what i think:
Compassion: I see you, I hear you, I understand you, I feel sorry for you, I want to help you … That’s what compassion is – to understand someone’s state of mind…. but sometimes you might disagree and it is at that very moment you are being Honest ;o)
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dani Says:
January 22nd, 2010 at 8:44 pmCompassion: accepting people for who they are no matter what. Trying to live like Jesus…accepting the prostitutes, the tax collectors ect. Compassion is knowing that no one is perfect and giving acceptance when we are tempted otherwise. We are all called to be compassionate every day even in the smallest of ways. We are all capable of stopping the stone from being thrown it is having the courage to say stop is where compassion lies.
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