Compassion is essentially the wish that beings not suffer – from
subtle physical and emotional discomfort to agony and anguish – combined
with feelings of sympathetic concern.
You could have compassion for an individual (a friend in the
hospital, a co-worker passed over for a promotion), groups of people
(victims of crime, those displaced by a hurricane, refugee children),
animals (your pet, livestock heading for the slaughterhouse), and
yourself.
Compassion is not pity, agreement, or a waiving of your rights. You
can have compassion for people who’ve wronged you while also insisting
that they treat you better.
Compassion by itself opens your heart and nourishes people you care
about. Those who receive your compassion are more likely to be patient,
forgiving, and compassionate with you. Compassion reflects the wisdom
that everything is related to everything else, and it naturally draws
you into feeling more connected with all things.
Additionally, compassion can incline you to helpful action. For
example, one study showed that motor circuits in the brain lit up when
people were feeling compassionate, as if they were getting ready to do
something about the suffering they were sensing.
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