Compassion: Nature Vs. Nurture

For the duration of human history, compassion has been an essential sentiment necessary for proper human interaction. Compassion allows people to put themselves in the position of others and strive to understand the problems, while feeling the emotions coupled with said problems. It is often asserted that a redeeming quality this vital must be an innate part of human beings, a characteristic that a person is genetically predisposed towards. Contrarily, it is claimed that an emotional skill as benevolent as compassion, must be taught, and subsequently practiced for it to register within a person. Regardless, in both the nature and nurture scenarios of compassion, the total reliance in one element, without the other can prove problematic. Ultimately, the proper theory in the nature vs. nurture argument regarding compassion is a hybridized stance, that asserts that both elements are required for a complete sense of compassion to be embodied.
It is often held that several characteristics or qualities of human beings are predisposed genetically, therefore certain
The natural sense of compassion allows people to know when people are hurting and need to be emotionally supported, while the nurtured sense of compassion allows people to know how to deal with someone in emotional need. The inborn component gives the proverbial “gut” feeling that someone needs assistance, and the learned element provides knowledge on how exactly the emotional support should be presented. For instance, a person realizes a close friend isn’t doing so well, and they are subsequently able to converse with their friend, offering support and understanding for their issues. In this scenario compassion is effectively delivered. While the amount of each component necessary remains relatively undetermined, it is more than apparent that both are requisite for wholesome