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Position:Home>Philosophy> Compassion?Question: Compassion!? Please tell me your thoughts on compassion!?
Is it different from altruism!? When do you feel the most compassion!? As always I ask this question with Metta/Loving Kindness (((((May All Beings Be Free From Dukkha))))) Thank you for answering!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: From where I am: Compassion requires action!. Whether that be a physical action or making a choice, and accepting consequences!. Compassion is not to be confused with sympathy or pity or even empathy!. It is none of these!. It does have to do with the allowing of others to be as they are, and the allow of you to be as you are, both in your truths!. It is the coming together from these truths, working together, in acceptance of these separate truths, as they are!. Case study: I had a pet cat!. She owned me and I was her very best human friend!. She became extremely ill!. She was suffering tremendously!. I had a choice!. The choice was to make her medically comfortable to prolong her life and delay my suffering!. Or to end her suffering and her life here in this current manifestation!. To me there was no other option but chose the one of most compassion, to end suffering!. Not mine, hers!. I knew there was a consequence, my eyes would tear, my heart would be filled with sadness for a while, because I would miss my feline friend!. But I knew that my only option was the compassionate choice, not the one that would gratify my emotional greed!. Compassion is not always easy!. It requires thought and action!. It requires practice!. But that is why we are here!. Practice makes perfect, or something like that!. Namaste!.Www@QuestionHome@Com True compassion happens when you can give something of yourself and the other person feels valued by you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Sure I believe in compassion!. It is a big part of the teachings of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Ba'hai, Sikhism and so on!. I think altruism is a general attitude that it is good to help people, and you will if you don't have to go out of your way!. Compassion is a feeling of love for others which drives you to treat them kindly, or at least wisely!. Furthermore people are more willing to go out of their way to be compassionate!. The medical people who serve in organizations like Doctors Without Frontiers are inspired by more than altruism!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Great question! To me compassion is putting yourself in someone elses shoes and imagining how they might be feeling!. Having empathy, understanding and care!. Being non judgemental!. Wanting to understand in order to HELP and DO something!. I think of altruism more as an "animal" instinct and genetical thing!.!.!.!. Darwinism; survival of the fittest, the strongest, survival of the species over that of one individual!.Www@QuestionHome@Com compassion!.!.!. I'm talking about real compassion is that, when the person in the same situation as you're! Only then you can feel real compassion!Www@QuestionHome@Com hey bud For me compassion is a 'devine' quality as many of us mistake affection for the above, however for me it embodies, love, kindness, affection, passion, thoughtfulness, consideration, and probably most fundamentally 'spiritual awareness' and i find that in a world which is having it's 'higher senses' numbed i think it is something that we need to learn all over again!. It saddens me that so many who claim that they would do anything for their neighbour, and see people who are genuinely in need go without!. We feurthermore forget that the world is fast becoming a smaller place, and for me when i talk about 'community' i consider it in a global sense, and if each human being donated 10p to famine relief or the homeless i know we could eradicate pretty much all of the worlds ills!. I think it takes far more effort to repell the need to help our fellow man than it does to enact it!. So in finalising, i would say that compassion is all of the above and probably a few more that others could add!. Anyways it only remains for me to say take care and be well GAWww@QuestionHome@Com Today I was thinking about compassion!. I watched an old man as he sorted through the contents of a rubbish bin for something to eat!. People ignored him and shuffled past!. Altruism could lead a person to buy the man a meal or give him some money because that would be the right thing to do!. But the compassionate response is to help the man because he is our brother!. Compassion is seeing a lack or need in someone else as being a lack or need in ourselves!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Compassion" - sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings of others!. "Altruism"- unselfish concern for others!. ( definitions taken out from "Oxford Dictionary") Taken these meanings for granted, an extra adjective added - unselfish - while defining "Altruism" ,brings extra vote to it!. But in common parlance the word "compassion" is used to give the same meaning as "Altruism"!. However, both of them are spontaneous responses from beings - not only human - born out of the unquestionable unity in creation - the oneness-, when they come to understand the sufferings of the fellow beings, often bringing tears!Www@QuestionHome@Com |