compassion essay 250 words

About this Blog
New Book: The Art and Craft of Creative Writing
Why I Write

Essay: On Compassion

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

We live in a world lacking in compassion. The sad reality of humanity is that the vast majority of people ignore the suffering of others. Perhaps many turn a blind eye for their own survival. Witnessing the suffering of another person can evoke raw emotion of fear or sadness or repulsion. Too often, people are detached or willfully blind.

We often learn compassion only after we have suffered ourselves—perhaps experiencing sickness, accident, illness, job loss, marriage breakdown, death of a loved one, prejudice, discrimination, social scorn, bad luck….

Why is compassion so important to humanity? Without it, we would descend into a state of war. We would continually witness 9/11, the detonating of the Atomic bomb, the wicked deeds of the Holocaust. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes once said, “Life is nasty, brutish, and short.” I tend to agree. He also said that without government, “The natural condition of man is a condition of war. Everyone against everyone else. The Dalai Lama stated it best: “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

Based on my observations and own personal life experiences, I am not sure that humankind is hardwired for compassion. I don’t believe the virtue of compassion is innate. It’s not an inherent human attribute. It is my view that compassion must be learned.

*** What is compassion? It has two components. First, compassion means to put yourself in another person’s shoes, and ask yourself the following: What if I were that person? How would I feel? So, compassion means to develop an awareness of the suffering in another person .

Compassion has a second component. Once you have an awareness of the suffering, you must respond appropriately. To do nothing is not compassion. So compassion also means to embrace the “Golden Rule”—treat others as you desire to be treated. “Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” (Confucius) If you witness someone who is in pain, or requires assistance, or asks for help, you must come to their aid, you must lend a hand, you must offer assistance. In some small way, you must help the person alleviate his/her suffering.

And if you are unable to help, you must not make their plight worse.

*** On a more general level, compassion means to have genuine concern for all of humanity , not just your own tribe. It is my view that most people are compassionate to members of their own family, such as spouse, and children, but are blind or indifferent to the suffering of others, such as strangers.

Compassion also means to practise random acts of kindness and expect nothing in return. For example, If you see someone on the street, and that person requests some change, give it to them. Or give a donation to a worthy charity. Or donate your forgotten clothing to Goodwill..

Finally, compassion means to believe in the dignity, respect, equality, justice of everyone. It means to live peacefully and avoid engaging in violent behavior. We can agree to disagree, and still live peacefully. For instance, I am apposed to the wearing of the naqab at citizenship ceremonies in Canada, and have expressed my views to anyone who will listen, but I have no intention of engaging in acts of prejudice or discrimination. If a woman desires to wear the head-to-toe veil, this is fine with me.

*** Continually, I witness the suffering in my city, country, and in other parts of the world. Often when reading the paper, or watching the news, or perusing content on the Internet, I am continually reminded by the reality that the vast majority of humanity is suffering, and that most of us turn a blind eye. These unfortunate souls suffer because of war, poverty, disease, famine, religious extremism, environmental disaster, hatred, and more. Their suffering only ends the moment they take their last breathe. It rarely is extinguished by the compassion of the Super Powers, such as Russia, China, and the United States, who spend more money, time, effort on military hardware to defend the next enemy (real or imagined) than foreign aid to the poorest countries in the Third World.

In my own city, I have witnessed the lack of compassion. For the past four years, I’ve walked the streets of Toronto with my camera, documenting the homeless sprawled out on the sidewalks and poor who beg for a handout. They are completely ignored by 99% of the people— who somehow believe these unfortunate and unlucky souls don’t deserve their support. Sadly, it would seem that most strangers who pass the downtrodden blame the victim. “It is your own fault. You are a lazy $^&& sod who doesn’t deserve my assistance.” I work hard for my money. Why should I share anything with you?”

Over the year, I have witnessed first hand the lack of compassion by our public institutions. For instance, the Catholic Church’s shoddy treatment of homosexuals, wilful blindness to priests who were sexual deviants, opposing those who embrace same-sex marriage for love. The religious fundamentalism of Christians and Islamic extremists who express intolerance to anyone who doesn’t support their own narrow view of morality and faith. During our recent election, I read about and watched on television the indifference of Prime Minister Stephen Harper toward the refugee crisis in Syria. His apathetic response cost him his job. I look back into history, make note of how the Nazis treated the Jews, how an American President made the decision to dropped atomic bombs on innocent people, how Islamic extremists steered planes into the Twin towers, incinerating innocent people.

Most recently, I witnessed the general lack of compassion toward the elderly in our healthcare system. This past March, while mum descended into death at a particular hospital in Toronto, I witnessed first hand the indifference by several of the nurses and a doctor to her suffering. Their conduct was appalling, so shocking—- that I felt compelled to file a complaint against one doctor with the College of Physicians and Surgeons and another against two nurses at the College of Nurses. (I was told that the COPS receives 4,000 complaints a year against doctors.) *** Why is there a lack of compassion in the world? Tribalism, individualism, secularism, religious extremism, social Darwinism, greed, envy, popular culture, prejudice, racism, hatred, revenge, indifference, the capitalist economy contribute to the general lack of compassion.

Some people are narcissistic. In fact, I have met more than a few. According to Psychology Today, “the Lack of empathy is one of the most striking features of people with narcissistic personality disorder. ” The narcissist in blind to the pain he or she inflicts on others. Nor does the narcissist take the time to understand the other person’s perceptions, feelings, view of the world. The narcissist is unable to imagine walking in another person’s shoes. Unfortunately, some people in power have narcissistic personality traits.

Living in a secular society doesn’t help the cause to educate people on compassion. Traditionally, people learned how to be ethical and moral by attending church. Now, the vast majority don’t.

Living in a world focused on success, individualism, material possessions, fame, fortune, me…. doesn’t help the cause.

Living in a world where the corporation focuses on making maximum profit doesn’t help the cause. I read this morning that Telus is cutting 1,500 jobs in Canada to increase dividends for shareholders. My reaction: “Utter greed.” Where is the human touch? The sad reality of the free market, capitalist economy is that the corporation focuses on maximization of profits, too often at the expense of shattering personal lives.

Popular Culture socializes the masses to be self-focused. Purchase yourself a smartphone and take endless selfies, then post them to social media. Popular culture also glorifies violence in video games and blockbuster movies, which desensitizes us to suffering and acts of violence, such as killing.

When people are suffering, perhaps grieving a loss, it is often impossible to feel compassion for others. The person who suffers focuses on fulfilling basic needs, such as survival.

I am not sure we are hardwired for compassion. It must be learned. Unfortunately, many people don’t learn to be compassionate.

How does a person begin to develop compassion? Karen Armstrong explains in her book, “The Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.” We must educate ourselves about what it means to be compassionate. there are many ways, such as studying other religions or reading spiritual wisdom. If you are secular, read about spirituality. Learn what Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama have to say about compassion.

We must develop empathy- –become aware of the suffering in the world. We can Learn by watching film or television or the Web and by reading poetry, novels, newspaper, and magazines.

We must look at our own world. Charity begins at home. How does family nourish you? Is there compassion in the workplace? Are your friends toxic? Do they embrace a similar moral code and compassionate view of humanity?

We must develop compassion for ourselves. Each of us has a dark side. Be kind to yourself. Don’t blame yourself for things you cannot control.

We must become mindful of the suffering in our families, friends, community, country, and the world. In other words, we must become aware of other people’s suffering.

We must realize we don’t know everything, and that our way is not necessarily the best way. Too often, we fail to understand other cultures, other religions, other views and perceptions. Instead we gaze at others who are different through our ethnocentric lens. We too often believe our way of life is superior.

We must take action — help those who are suffering. We must discard the tribalism mentality, discard the ethnocentric view, discard the sense of moral superiority. Instead, we must embrace compassion as the highest of virtues. We must practise Random acts of kindness, offering help to anyone who crosses our path and is suffering.

We must embrace the golden rule -Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.

We must love your enemies. (Not easy to do.) It’s best to ignore them. Don’t seek to defeat and humiliate them. This will only create hatred and the desire for revenge. Instead we must strive to understand and befriend. Karen Armstrong writes” Only goodness can drive out evil, and only love can overcome hatred.” (page 182) The supreme test of compassion is to love your enemy. “We must learn to see sorrow in our enemies.” (page 188). Jesus preached “Love your neighbor has yourself.” *** How I learned about compassion? My own suffering educated me on compassion, such as job loss, illness, financial problems, marriage breakdown, death of loved ones. Attending church as a boy and young adult also educated me on the importance of compassion.

In recent years, I’ve re-reading the New Testament and many books on Buddhism and spirituality. Recently, I read Karen Armstrong’s splendid book of wisdom—“The Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life”, which has provided both a definition and steps on how to live the compassionate life. Her book ought to be required reading in both the public and Catholic schools.

I also continually educate myself by visiting the http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ website on a regular basis. It’s a website that offers numerous suggestions on how to develop spirituality—quotes, different types of practise, films to see, music to listen to, art to view, books to read.

And like yourselves, I witness to the suffering of humanity. I’m mindful to the suffering in my city. Every time, I stroll with my camera taking street photos, I see the countless homeless on the street, requesting pocket change for a cup of coffee or a meal. Watching the news or reading the paper, I’m aware of the suffering around the world. Poverty, Environmental disaster, Genocide,Terrorism, Famine, Civil War, Collateral damage from drones dropping bombs. As a student of history at university, I read about the horrors of humanity. The world is drowning in suffering. *** Human life without compassion is hell on earth– a state of war . It would seem that compassion doesn’t come easy for many people. It is difficult to be compassionate when you are suffering. It is difficult to be compassionate in a world focused on success, material wealth, fame, fortune, rugged individualism. It is difficult to be in a world ruled too often by “corporations” that has no conscience. It is difficult to be compassionate in a world where popular culture glorifies violence in video games and film. And so, we must continually work at living the compassionate life.

Karen Armstrong reminds us: “To become a compassionate human being is a lifelong project. It is not achieved in an hour or day. It is a struggle that will last until our dying hour. ”

Her best advice on developing compassion: “Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain, and then refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else.”

Additional Reading • The Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong • Spiritual Literacy by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat • How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating inner Peace and a Happier World by his holiness The Dalai Lama

About Dave Hood

Compassion Can Change The World

Categories: Compassion Positive Psychology

About this sample

Words: 456 |

Published: Sep 1, 2020

Words: 456 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited

Bohlmeijer, E. T., Prenger, R., Taal, E., & Cuijpers, P. (2010). The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on mental health of adults with a chronic medical disease: A meta-analysis. Journal of psychosomatic research, 68(6), 539-544.
Burke, C. A. (2010). Mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents: A preliminary review of current research in an emergent field. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2), 133-144.
Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(1), 23-33.
Dalai Lama. (2011). Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come Together. Doubleday Religion.
Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature neuroscience, 15(5), 689-695.
Flook, L., Smalley, S. L., Kitil, M. J., Galla, B. M., Kaiser-Greenland, S., Locke, J., ... & Kasari, C. (2010). Effects of mindful awareness practices on executive functions in elementary school children. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 26(1), 70-95.
Germer, C. K. (2009). The mindful path to self-compassion: Freeing yourself from destructive thoughts and emotions. Guilford Press.
Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53(1), 6-41.
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Evans, K. C., Hoge, E. A., Dusek, J. A., Morgan, L., ... & Britton, W. B. (2010). Stress reduction correlates with structural changes in the amygdala. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 5(1), 11-17.
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004). The mirror-neuron system. Annual review of neuroscience, 27(1), 169-192.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

Expert in: Life Psychology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 873 words

4 pages / 1989 words

3 pages / 1466 words

2 pages / 817 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Compassion

Lokos, A. (2012). Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living. Penguin.Rosenberg, M. B. (2003). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. PuddleDancer Press.Stosny, S. (2010). Empathy and Self-Compassion. Psychology Today

Charity, with its far-reaching impact, stands as a beacon of hope in a world facing multifaceted challenges. This essay delves into the profound importance of charity in fostering positive social change, emphasizing its role in [...]

Receiving is often regarded as an essential aspect of human interactions, yet it stands in the shadow of the more celebrated act of giving. This essay delves into the dynamics of giving and receiving, examining the emotional, [...]

A Heartfelt Anecdote: As a teacher, I once witnessed the transformative power of compassion and empathy in the classroom. Join me as I share a deeply personal story that highlights the profound impact these qualities [...]

“On Compassion” is an essay written by Barbara Lazear Ascher. The main argument of Ascher's piece deals with acts of compassion, as well as the motives behind them. Ascher utilizes a somber tone, being a third party observer. [...]

In our daily lives, we often experience emotions and sensations beyond our environment and beyond physical limits. These emotions are about people or do not allow us to reflect and initiate actions to avoid obstacles or [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

Definition Essay On Compassion

Show More The definition of compassion is to have sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. It is to have pity, love, mercy, and sensitivity for others. Compassion is a quality that the world needs to survive without heading in a direction of hate and war. Without compassion the people of the world would destroy each other everywhere. Life is sometimes cruel and short lived and for people to show and have compassion makes the world a less destructive place. “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others” is a quote by Albert Schweitzer that says just how important compassion is by stating that it is the purpose of human life. However the truth is we live in a world lacking compassion. …show more content… Compassion also means to have genuine concern for all of humanity. We need to be compassionate to not only to the close people around our lives but to notice the suffering of strangers. We need to practice random acts of kindness and expect nothing in return. If you see someone on the street help them, give a donation to a worthy charity, or give meaningful advice to someone. There is this quote by Munshi Premchand that says “wealth and compassion are opposites”. This stood out to me because people may mistake a person, giving and taking care of someone with money or even their own personal time as being compassionate but that person could be acting selfishly or acting for affection for an audience. In the presidential elections the nominees take a lot of ACTions to show that they care for America and the America people by traveling, donating, and making speeches however their main care and actions are primarily for their selfish needs of wealth or to become the president of the United States. We need to grow apart from actions like these and expand care in a genuine way. Karen Armstrong wrote a book about compassion and in it she wrote “Look into your own heart, discover what it is that gives you pain, and then refuse, under any circumstances whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody

Compare And Contrast The Cask Of Amontillado And Othello

Brent Weeks stated, " I think that fiction is an excellent place for us to struggle with question of good and evil and humanity and inhumanity." Throughout time the words good vs. evil always have an affect on history. Why do humans battle good and evil? In fiction we read of some of the most famous battles with good vs. evil. Two of the most classic stories that we read in this course are The Cask of the Amontillado, and Othello.…

An Analysis Of Barbara Ascher's On Compassion

On Compassion What is one of the biggest factors that contributes to so many of today’s social issues? It is the lack of understanding and care for others, known as compassion. In Barbara Ascher’s, “On Compassion”, she uses multiple examples of instances that the true intention behind the actions were unclear on if they were from a place of compassion or not. Ultimately, Ascher comes to close her essay with the idea that yes, compassion is something we do and MUST learn. Although there are people who are naturally more compassionate than others, compassion is something that is learned based on the fact of how children come to be compassionate, people who can not learn to be compassionate, and people who have been through similar experiences…

Challenges Of Istj In Nursing

In the field of nursing being compassionate is one of the several important things he or she needs to have in order to be successful. By a nurse showing compassion towards her patient helps he or she relax, and be confident in the nurse because she is showing them that she cares and that she wants to help him or her as much as possible. Showing compassion also helps the nurse stay focus because of her willpower to get her patient well and feeling better. Compassion also shows nurses sympathy towards their patients’ trouble because it is showing the patient that the nurse has a heart and cares about the patients’ pain or…

Examples Of Compassion In Night By Elie Wiesel

Compassion Essay There are many times in which we need others to be compassionate towards us, and there are many times in which we need to be compassionate to others. We are able to see many acts of compassion through many excerpts such as the book Night, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and in real life. Throught these excerpts, compassion is what kept most of the characters going even when they were in their darkest times. In the memoir Night, Elie Wiesel shows compassion through his own horrifying experiences.…

Compassion Fatigue Theory Paper

Theoretical construct Based upon analysis of previous research, it is evident that research into compassion is less prevalent than compassion fatigue (Kagen, 2014). According to Gilbert (2005), compassion can be divided into two parts: 1) a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune and 2) a strong desire to help stop the suffering. The desire to help stop the suffering is what separates compassion from empathy. A plethora of research has identified that compassion is reduced when a person is continuously exposed to compassion inducing stimuli, known as compassion fatigue (Conrada & Kellar-Guentherb, 2006).…

Tale Of Two Cities Character Analysis

“I am like one who died young. All my life might have been” (Dickens 151). In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, people are suffering, but in some cases do not recover and do not have better outcome in life. Furthermore, these people need something in order to be resurrected from their miseries. Compassion has the power to resurrect sufferers.…

Barbara Ascher Essay On Compassion

In her essay, “On Compassion”, Barbara Ascher uses ethos and references to Greek tragedy to demonstrate the purpose of her essay; that compassion can be learned by witnessing the adversity or poverty around you, and that we should not ignore the helpless, because they remind us of our own selves. Ascher also uses examples of current events related to the homeless to emphasize her perspective on compassion. She believes that compassion is something that is learned, not a character trait. Ascher uses pathos to convey the purpose of her essay. Ascher suggested that living in a big city like Manhattan allows you to see more poverty and homelessness than places like Wyoming, and that even though a lot of people in the city want to escape that, those conditions allow them to start to empathize with the homeless.…

Dalai Lama The Ethics Of Compassion

In “The Ethics of Compassion”, The Dalai Lama explains how we should strive for fulfillment of having compassion towards everyone and not just the people closest to us. The Dalai Lama himself has not accomplished such a task, “Most people, including myself, must struggle even to reach the point where putting others’ interests on a par with our own becomes easy” (Dalai Lama). It takes time to be able to have compassion towards people you don’t even know, but it must be understood that everyone wants the same thing, happiness. The Dalai Lama successfully connects to the reader using examples that the reader can relate to in their lives that appeal to logos and pathos.…

Theme Of Compassion In Night By Elie Wiesel

Compassion is necessary for human survival. Without compassion, humans turn into some type of monster that hurts and kills the innocent “Babies! Yes, I did see this with my own eyes…. children being thrown into the flames” (32). Babies, who were just innocent children, were being thrown alive into a pit of fire, and being…

I Want To Be A Pediatric Nurse Essay

Life of a child is so precious because they bring joy when life gets rough. Kids love to ask questions and they are very curios about many thing but they have a huge imagination. Nothing is more valuable in life than to be able to save a life of a child. There are many professions that help save the life of a child when they are physically sick. A nurse can help many people from different ages group and they can also work in different settings.…

The Peloponnesian War And The Iliad Analysis

Compassion is the key to a human life, but the definitions surrounding compassion are completely dependent upon the individual’s idea of compassion. My philosophy is a mixture between the two: a normal human feels compassion for those within his/her social circle, but a human who has suffered knows compassion on a deeper more genuine…

Nietzsche On Compassion Analysis

Schopenhauer and Nietzsche on Compassion Many different interpretations of the word compassion exist. For me, compassion involves a deep feeling of sympathy and sorrow for another human being or animal who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a wish to help them. Although it is strongly related to altruism and empathy, compassion is something different - it is an immense feeling of ‘suffering’ together and then doing something about it. However, in the history of philosophy, compassion was often related to pity. Mariette Willemsen wrote that compassion is a “neutral term for a feeling that is often called pity in the English tradition [...] and Mitleid by German philosophers” (Schopenhauer and Nietzsche) (p.182).…

Empathy Research Paper

Why do we have empathy for others? Babies are the coolest empathizers, the way they mirror the others in their environment, with innocence and no judgment. Adults do this too, but on a broader generality. We do imitate the faces that we see everyday.…

Essay on Compassion | Meaning, Purpose, Importance of Compassion in Life

Essay on Compassion | Meaning, Purpose & Importance of having Compassion in Life

The Compassion is an emotional energy that we feel for someone or something else and which draws us to offer our support. If we have compassion for someone in need, it means that we feel their pain in our own hearts and are motivated to alleviate it in some way.

On a broader scale, compassion is loving kindness. It’s the heartfelt intention to offer hope and support, to feel someone else’s pain as if it is our own and to offer help.

>>>>>>> Related Post: Essay on Where there’s a Will there’s a Way

Compassion vs Empathy:

Empathy can be defined as, “the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions.”

While both compassion and empathy are about relating to the feelings of others, empathy is more focused on the other person’s emotions. Compassion expands that focus to include a desire to help. It shows up as wanting to support, to be there for someone in a time of need, and to offer help.

Empathy often causes an emotional resonance within us that motivates us to action, which is an aspect of compassion. However, empathy can be limited by our own feelings and experiences. For example, if someone else is feeling sad, but the only thing you can relate to in that moment is your own sadness, you may feel empathy for them but not be able to experience their sadness fully. This might lead you to try to cheer them up instead of letting them feel what they need to feel in order to heal.

On the other hand, compassion is more about emotional resonance and less about our own emotions. Because of this, it can be a more effective motivator for both giving and receiving help.

Kinds of Compassion

Compassion can be broken down into two categories: familial and altruistic. Familial love is the kind of compassion that comes from our personal family experiences. Whenever we feel love for someone in our family, we are experiencing familial compassion. For example, your parents showed you love and support when you were growing up—those are moments of familial compassion.

Altruistic love is the kind that focuses on loving others without any expectation for reciprocity. It’s the kind of love that you can feel for people you don’t know or have just met. It’s what leads to charity, volunteering, and philanthropy. People who dedicate their lives to helping others are often motivated by altruistic love.

Compassion in our daily Life

Having compassion for ourselves and others is an important part of keeping our hearts open. We all experience challenges in life that can cause us to shut down and close our hearts. When we have compassion for ourselves in these moments, it can prevent us from closing down further.

Compassion is also often necessary when helping others. If we are trying to support a homeless person on the street, for example, it’s much more helpful if we can offer them compassion. If we are judgmental of their situation, if we think that they “should” be doing something about it or that this is “their own fault,” we are not offering effective support. The same can be said for trying to help someone who is grieving, or a person struggling with anxiety.

It’s important to receive compassion as well as offer it. We all need support sometimes, and when we don’t get it, we can feel even worse about ourselves and the situation. If you are going through a tough time, it’s important to receive compassion from others to keep your heart open.

In order to offer compassion, we have to practice awareness of the suffering in our world and take a stand against it. We can’t offer compassion if we don’t know about the problem. In addition, mindful awareness of our own thoughts and feelings is a crucial part of compassion. Without self-awareness we can’t know what others need and we won’t be able to relate to them properly.

Developing Compassion in Life

Compassion can be developed by practicing mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness is the practice of keeping our attention on the present moment and noticing how we’re feeling. We can think of this as “taking a moment” to check in with ourselves. Meditation is another way to practice mindfulness.

Compassion can also be encouraged by focusing on people’s beneficial qualities rather than their shortcomings or mistakes. If you focus mainly on the negative qualities of someone who is suffering, it can be harder to feel compassion for them. Another way to develop more compassion is by trying to imagine

>>>>>>>> Related Post: Essay on Loyalty, Value & Importance

Compassion is essential to keeping our hearts open, and developing more of it will ultimately help us build better relationships with others. When we feel compassion, we feel motivated to help and support others, but it’s important to recognize that compassion is a whole-hearted feeling, not an emotion. Therefore it’s important that we also receive compassion from others, especially when we need it.

Reader Interactions

Compassion Essay Examples

Personal reflection on compassion analysis.

What I know and I have learned is we need to have compassion. Compassion makes everything fit in place. It makes a harmony of unity among the people making us one in reaching a peaceful world. The world now is so cruel. Leaders are unfair...

Practicing Compassion: Its Role in Everyday Life - Personal Reflection

To be compassionate is more than to just feel sympathy or show concern. To be compassionate is to truly feel deeply about another person feelings and opinions as they experience the ups and downs that come along with us through life. To be compassionate is...

Steps to Become More Compassionate

Compassion is one of the few abilities in life that can create both short – term and long – term joy for you. It involves realizing that we are not the only ones who suffer, and trying to create a better world for other people....

The Power of Compassion and Its Main Aspects

Compassion is the term we use for a complex emotion, that involves empathy, altruism and desire; where empathy is the ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another; altruism is the kind, and selfless behavior; and desire is the strong feeling...

Medicine for Me – the Art of Being a Compassionate Caregiver

Compassion, commitment and collaboration are important competencies that I believe I intrinsically possess, which makes me a strong candidate to read Medicine. My nature of being a caring and principled inquirer, alongside my interest in Human Biology is what initially steered me in this direction....

Love and Compassion as a Cure for Loneliness

Love and compassion are essential in human life, as it is shown everywhere around us, if we take that away, humanity cannot survive without them. Love and compassion are such fundamental qualities, that animals, who have lesser cognitive abilities than us humans, possess. Animals would...

The Importance of the Principles of Determination and Compassion in My Life

Principles are the reasons in which we live our lives. Principles are key elements that can help bring out both growth and development. There are a variety of principles that can bring balance, and great substance. Every individual has some kind of principles that drives...

People Skills and Personal Attributes: the Compassion in Practice and the 6 C’s

I will be explaining the compassion in practice program and the 6 c’s. The compassion in practice was introduced in 2010 after the patients at Winterbourne View and mid Staffordshire hospital were treated badly and inhumanely. The 6 c’s were put in place to provide...

Applications of Matrices in Computer Graphics

Abstract-Column matrices can be used to represent points in 2D or 3D, while matrices of dimension 2×n and 3×n can be used to represent sets of points in 2D or 3D. Matrices allow arbitrary linear transformations to be represented in a consistent format (T(x)=Ax for...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!