Compassion Is Not A One Sided Emotion

Barbara Lazear Ascher writes a well formed essay on the concept of compassion. Compassion is something that we do for others out of the kindness of our hearts. She focuses more on the poor, just how we show them sympathy, why do we do such things. Is showing empathy from our hearts or just for them to go away. I enjoyed this essay due to the fact, that she gives humanistic reasons on why people are compassionate, she doesn’t sugar coat anything, and lastly she breaks down the compassion that she sees everyday.

Compassion drives human solidarity by encouraging us to sympathize with each other, and it is because of this reason that I believe it is the most essential Christian value. It can be challenging to be compassionate because as human beings we tend to think solely about ourselves and do a poor job acknowledging the feelings of others. If we lived in a world where everyone was compassionate towards one another, there would be a greater sense of love and peace rather than the violence, neglect, and hate that we see so often in our world today. Just by tuning into the news or by looking at my own community, I notice the many ways in which the value of compassion is being violated. Examples of this include bullying or hate speech, prejudice such

Are people born with a complete quandary when it comes to compassion or is it something that has always been there? Barbara Lazear Ascher, born in 1946, writes, “On Compassion.” Having lived in New York City, Ascher is able to take first hand examples from the city to show the affection people have towards each other. Ascher is able to illustrate that compassion is something that has to be taught because of the adversity at people’s heels by including tone, persuasive appeals, and the mode of comparing and contrast in her essay, “On 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.

Compassion, by definition, is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. In our modern society, compassion plays a major role in the act of kindness. Many people believe that doing a good deed is a selfless act since they do not get nothing in return. Others believe that doing a good deed to make you feel good about yourself is selfish. It is a theory that causes you to ponder on the purpose of compassion. In Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay, On Compassion, she contemplates this theory. By using a variety of writing techniques, Ascher is able to share her views on compassion in way that speaks to the audience.

Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering (Dictionary.com). In the Annex you can see that many people are very compassionate towards each other. One example of this is when Peter’s cat gets lost and cannot be found. You’d expect for him to get told to suck it up and that it’s just a cat, and they’ve more important things to worry about. Instead of this you see that they try to find his cat and calm him down, which I think is very compassionate of them to think of Peter and how much he loves his cat instead of telling him to suck it up.

Example 2: God wants us to have a heart of compassion for others. Compassion involves feeling, but it involves so much more. If we only feel, then we are sympathetic. If our sympathy motivates us to act, then it becomes compassion. True compassion feels and it acts. Notice that compassion begins with feeling. Without feeling, there is no compassion. Feeling is not enough, but it is a place to begin. If we do not weep for those who are hurting, how can we minister to them? We must be about the Savior’s preoccupation with people. I believe that if we serve hurting people, encourage those in despair, help those in need, and hurt with those in pain, we will have not only enriched their lives but have done exactly what God would want us to do. People don’t go where the action is; people go where the love is. I have worked in the geriatric nursing field my entire adult life and the most important impact on the lives that I touch is my ability to be compassionate. I find that when a spouse or children

Compassion impels us to work to alleviate the suffering of our fellow man, to remove ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the sanctity of every single person treating everybody, without exception, with justice, equity and respect.

Compassion allows humans to grow and have a hopeful future. In Hiroshima, Mr. Tanimoto showed compassion by urging people to get on a boat to safety. The victims were too weak to get on the boat. However, being selfless, Mr. Tanimoto helped the injured people get on it. This is significant because Mr. Tanimoto assisted the weak people to get on the boat to safety so they’d heal. Thus, through Mr. Tanimoto’s compassion the victims had a hope they’d survive. Furthermore,

To me, compassion means to show sympathy for someone that is feeling pain; physically or emotionally. Compassion also means to show kindness to one another when in rough times. When an individual shows compassion to someone else, they comfort them, or make them feel better. It can also mean when someone sees need for one, and helps them. For example, a sign of compassion can be donating to a homeless shelter. Therefore, compassion can be expressed in many ways. Compassion is like a contagious illness. If you get it, you give it and if everyone showed compassion, everyone would receive it. Compassion is very important.

Compassion has little to no boundries. In almost every great story there is a specific character or a group of characters that help the protagonist because they feel bad for them. Compassion is the most important aspect of a functioning society; therefore, Elie Wiesel’s Night, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, and the generosity of spirit shown by the average citizen after the recent shooting in Las Vegas are all perfect examples.

To me compassion means to care and love one another. If you hate or dislike someone, that is not showing compassion. Compassion also means to understand if they are upset, for example if your friend has a breakup. I would want to help them get through the breakup and make them happy again.To love someone is a huge part of compassion. Love can make someone feel super special and have compassion. One other definition of compassion is to forgive someone. if you forgive someone they will be happy with you. Being happy is great and it shows compassion.

To me compassion is helping someone through dark or rough times. Showing that you care and are there for them. My Dad (a retired veteran) works at the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center. Every year they hold Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. These dinners, however, are for homeless and/or disabled veterans. Those who can’t afford it or don’t have a family to have it with. Without the center there would be countless vets who have served our country, out on the streets. These dinners are important to them. Compassion is needed in this ditch we call Earth.

If a person is compassionate, this means that one is able to understand the state and the situation of another human being and help one to overcome any kind of problem one is going through. Having compassion means that one wants the best in others. We go out of our way, just to help people with physical, emotional and spiritual sufferings.

Compassion represents an “acknowledgement of another’s suffering and is accompanied by the expression of a desire to ease or end that suffering.” (Van der Cingal, 2009, p. 124) This is a fundamental characteristic usually found in health care workers and nurses especially. In one twelve hour shift, a nurse’s job can change from taking vitals and administering medications to performing life saving measures