Compassion

Lore & Background

Compassion involves allowing oneself to be moved by suffering to help alleviate and prevent it. An act of compassion is one intended to be helpful. Other virtues that harmonize with compassion include patience, wisdom, kindness, perseverance, warmth, and resolve. In Buddhism, compassion is the heartfelt wish to relieve the suffering of all beings, paired with the courage to act, and is considered a source of lasting happiness. The English noun compassion, meaning 'to suffer together with', comes from Latin, with its prefix com- meaning 'with' and -passion derived from passus, past participle of patior, meaning 'to suffer'.

Reader's Guide

Compassion is recognized as a distinct emotional state in evolutionary psychology, differentiated from distress, sadness, and love, though some theories view it as a variation of love or sadness. It requires three major conditions: the troubles must be perceived as serious, not self-inflicted, and the compassionate person must be able to picture themselves with the same problems without blame or shame. Compassion is characteristic of democratic societies because it is highly related to identifying with others across cultures and locations. The role of compassion in individual or societal behavior has been debated; while its absence may enable atrocities, compassion can induce kindness and forgiveness that prevent violence. However, pathological compassion can lead to negative effects such as impunity, miscarriage of justice, gullibility, compassion fatigue, and depression.

Did You Know?

• Compassion is related in origin, form, and meaning to the English noun patient, from the Latin patiens.
• Compassion consists of three facets: noticing, feeling, and responding.
• Compassion is not pity, nor attachment, nor simply wishful thinking; it is basically a variation of love.
• Compassion may be considered partially rational in nature when based on fairness, justice, and interdependence.