Compassionate in the World Today
August 16, 2013
Compassion in The World today
Compassion: A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, and a strong desire to help ease the burden of that misfortune.
Wouldn’t our lives be richer and fuller if we all had a little more compassion? It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves. We are all capable of feeling Compassion, yet we rarely act on it. We go to great lengths at times to guard ourselves from feeling too much compassion for ourselves or others. Yet other times we can’t help but let it overwhelm us. We see a commercial on TV to help an orphan in an African village that is suffering due to a lack of resources available to feed and/or care for these children, or an animal that needs a home because it’s been abandoned or mistreated. We can’t help but let these images pull on our heart strings, and that often leads us to feel sympathetic for those that are stricken by this misfortune. We want to reach out and help alleviate the suffering that these people or animals have been experiencing. However at the same time we often walk by the beggar or homeless person on the street and ignore his or her cries for help. Sometimes it’s a neighbour or friend who may be struggling, but how often do we try to reach out to them and offer to help somehow if they are in need?
Paul D’Angelo, author of “The Step Not Taken” recounts a situation he encountered one morning on his way into work in the office elevator. “I was followed into an office building elevator by a very well dressed young man carrying a briefcase. Typical junior executive material. There was nothing that seemed unusual about him. I excused myself and leaned over to his side of the car and pushed the button for the 10th floor. He pushed the button for the 15th. The door closed and we began to ascend. Then it happened, a sudden strained gasp. I turned toward the noise, and I was astonished to see the young man drop
Compassion in The World today
Compassion: A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, and a strong desire to help ease the burden of that misfortune.
Wouldn’t our lives be richer and fuller if we all had a little more compassion? It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves. We are all capable of feeling Compassion, yet we rarely act on it. We go to great lengths at times to guard ourselves from feeling too much compassion for ourselves or others. Yet other times we can’t help but let it overwhelm us. We see a commercial on TV to help an orphan in an African village that is suffering due to a lack of resources available to feed and/or care for these children, or an animal that needs a home because it’s been abandoned or mistreated. We can’t help but let these images pull on our heart strings, and that often leads us to feel sympathetic for those that are stricken by this misfortune. We want to reach out and help alleviate the suffering that these people or animals have been experiencing. However at the same time we often walk by the beggar or homeless person on the street and ignore his or her cries for help. Sometimes it’s a neighbour or friend who may be struggling, but how often do we try to reach out to them and offer to help somehow if they are in need?
Paul D’Angelo, author of “The Step Not Taken” recounts a situation he encountered one morning on his way into work in the office elevator. “I was followed into an office building elevator by a very well dressed young man carrying a briefcase. Typical junior executive material. There was nothing that seemed unusual about him. I excused myself and leaned over to his side of the car and pushed the button for the 10th floor. He pushed the button for the 15th. The door closed and we began to ascend. Then it happened, a sudden strained gasp. I turned toward the noise, and I was astonished to see the young man drop
References: D`Angelo, P. (1995). The Step Not Taken. (2013) Effective reading and Writing for Comm 170 and beyond Dallaire, R. Lt.Gen., Beardsly, B. Maj. (2013). Cri De Coeur, (2013). Effective Reading and Writing for Comm 170 and beyond Dallaire, R. (2003). Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure Of Humanity In Rwanda. CBCNews Canada (2010-12-06). Compassionate Homicide: The Law and Robert Latimer. Retrieved August, 16, 2013, from CBC News website, Canada: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/12/06/f-robert-latimer-compassionate-homicide.html Marsh, J. (2013-05-23). How To Train The Compassionate Brain. Retrieved August 16, 2013 from Greater Good The Science of a Meaningful Life, University of California, Berkley: