Compassion is a sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Self–compassion is not judging yourself or allowing others to judge you, not blaming yourself, getting to know and accepting yourself, forgiving yourself, loving yourself, helping yourself overcome insecurities, respecting yourself, and protecting yourself. In some way, shape or form we have given or received compassion, and it is important to always be compassionate to others no matter what the situation. I think it is vital to everyone that they live a compassionate life, because it can tune them into how others feel and they can communicate and understand each other better. People need to understand that if they are lacking something very essential in our needs, we aren't always going to find it in ourselves to be compassionate for others, even after receiving compassion....show more content...
Compassion is being connected with someone, not always suffering, but to live in the moment with them. It can also mean being genuinely happy for them. When you have compassion for someone, it means that you take on action. Some people just want to know that they are not alone in what they are feeling and do not want anything or anyone to take action for them. Sometimes we find ourselves going beyond our own means just because we connect with the person who is going
Often when using the words of empathy and compassion, many people envision them as having similar meaning. While they may share similar circumstances, they are actually quite different. Empathy is more of an emotional response with an understanding of a person's particular situation; whereas compassion is an emotion that arouses an active response to alleviate a distressful situation. Nevertheless, these dissimilar expressions are paramount in the way people respond to the individual needs of others and how they reach out to others in their local communities. Barbara Lazear Ascher's essay "On Compassion" not only creatively offers a very detailed description of the day in the life inNew York City, but effectively draws a picture of...show more content...
Empathy is an innate trait that all humans have and it is the one that we most readily feel, while compassion is a feeling that must be acquired. Ascher astutely points out that "empathy is the mother of compassion" (par.13). In this noteworthy parallel, Ascher compares empathy to a nurturing mother and compassion to the fruit of her labor. Like a mother who has an inherent instinct to protect and teach her young, so too does one have an innate understanding and sensitivity to the feelings and experiences of another, and it is only from these life experiences that the birth of a new awareness is brought forth in the form of compassion. Similar to a mother's tutelage, Ascher describes compassion as a "learned" behavior that allows one to consciously act upon the distress of others by actively alleviating it. According to Ascher, "Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our window..." (par.13). In other words, true compassion can only be learned when one is faced with it every day of ones life and that once it becomes "familiar", only then it can become identifiable and conjure empathy. Ascher's "On Compassion" offer readers a brief encounter with New York City's citizens as they confront the less fortunate members of society– the homeless. She describes a young mother walking down the street with her baby in a stroller who becomes agitated upon seeing a homeless man walking
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If you look up compassion in the dictionary, you will see the following definition: A deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it. The construct of compassion is not clearly defined in psychological literature. Another definition of compassion is a feeling of sorrow or concern for another person's suffering or need, accompanied by a subsequent desire to alleviate the suffering. Compassion is felt as an emotion: a feeling that anyone may experience at some point in his or her lives. There are many instances where one may perceive specific conditions in which people will be more likely to feel compassion. There are also differences in the degree of an individual's feelings of compassion, and that many...show more content...
The father does not want to help, yet he sees his son has a need to, and asks, "What do you want to give him?" The boy replies, "We could cook something on the stove. He could eat with us." The man is unwilling to hazard any exposure to find out whether this man is good or not, while the boy desires to renew some sort of social compact with the traveler. (McCarthy's The Road 165) The boy wants to give constantly to others. Throughout the book, the man gives his son moral guidance and teaching, something the son hungers for, which relates to Jesus' childhood in Jerusalem. The boy needs continual reassurance from his father that they are the "good" guys, and that there are other good guys to be found among the land. The father says, "This is what the good guys do. They keep trying. They don't give up." (McCarthy's The Road 137) Jesus never gave up in the quest to be a good person and spread the word of God. Similarly, the child must never give up either. People may do wrong or have wrong done to them, but That does not allow them to end the narrative they wove through the generations. They continue down the road, doing the best they can because they have no other choice. For the son, his belief in the goodness of humankind is tested repeatedly, but he never loses his faith in it. Jesus, too, was tempted by sin many times yet he never diverged. The boy stands for the fight to stay human. Get more content
Compassion is a well–known association based around Christianity; they strive to serve children, young adults & their families living in poverty, despite of their circumstances, beliefs or gender. In response to Jesus' scriptures, Compassion aims to reveal hope to the hopeless, communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an ethnic manner. Most importantly, Compassion aims for every child to get the chance to hear & respond to the Gospel message whilst discovering God's incredible love for them. Through Compassion's programs, children are supported through every stage of life, & are equipped to bring lasting change to their families and
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The purpose of this essay is to question the readers. Ascher wants the audience to analyze themselves to determine the reason behind why people show kindness, whether it is out of fear, pity, or compassion. Compassion is learned through experience and seeing those less fortunate; it brings out sympathy because one cannot ignore it when unfortunate people are everywhere. "And yet, it may be that these are the conditions that finally give birth to empathy, the mother of compression. We cannot deny the existence of the helpless as their presence grows. It is impossible to insulate ourselves against what is at our very doorstep. I don't believe that one is born compassionate. Compassion is...show more content... She has a detached nature and comes off as being an outsider observing them from above, and interpreting their movements like a scientist. Rhetorical questions such as, "twice I have wondered, what compels this woman to feed this man? Pity? Care? Compassion? Or does she simply want to rid her shop of his troublesome presence?" (57) makes the reader question themselves and figure out why people would be compassionate. Asher is able to bring out the audience's feelings about homeless people and why people are kind to them by describing other people's questionable actions. Phrases like, "his eyes fix on the baby" (57) confuses the reader about whether the mother gave the homeless man money out of "fear or compassion" (57). Her words are delicately planned out to make the reader feel puzzled about whether humans are actually compassionate or if they do things for other reasons. Asher's word play is remarkable, especially her use of rhetorical questions. She questions every action of a person, making the reader wonder why they did something. Her essay was really able to make me analyze myself and why I do things. She is able to capture a small detail that completely changes the situation, like when the mother's "hands clos[ed] tighter on the stroller's handle" (56); this little movement makes the reader feel like the mother gave the money out of fear instead of
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