The Importance Of Compassion

1037 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of compassion

Compassion is that mystifying power within us that makes it conceivable to identify with suffering that is not our own but affects us as though it were. It makes us strive to lessen others hurt. Compassion is made up of two words. ‘co’ meaning together and ‘passion’ meaning an intense feeling. When we feel that impulse to help a stranger, friend, or loved one with no selfish purpose or motivation behind it; that is compassion.
Compassion is inside all of us. Compassion is defined as, a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. Compassion I believe can be easily defined as to “suffer together”. Compassion often times can be mistaken with empathy. But the difference between empathy and compassion is empathy is to feel the emotions of another person, compassion feels the emotion but with the need to act upon those feelings and help.
Through compassion, we have the tie that binds every person to each other, we as humans could not function without compassion. It is the mutual thread of communities and religions. Compassion does not recognize the artificial barriers we have placed between ourselves and others socially, economically, or religiously. Compassion is not selfish, it …show more content…

It has the strength to overcome prejudice, hate, bias, and indifferences. Compassion has no discrepancies amongst gender, ethnicity, disabilities, or age because it has the ability to change judgement into acceptance. To change hate into love. Empathy is a natural instinct within all of us. However, many people look for others to do what is right and not act on it. It takes a person of strength, courage, and integrity to act on the empathy they feel and turn it into compassion. A person that is inclined to act on compassion, and has the courage to do so, has the ability to create one of the most energetic combinations in the

Show More
Related

  • The Chosen By Chaim Potok Character Analysis

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    The definition of compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. As this definition shows compassion shows concern for other that every person would love to have. In The Chosen written by Chaim Potok, Mr. Potok really presents compassion in his book. Not only does he display compassion in one of his character but in every single one he gives them compassion that is expressed in different ways. He goes into detail example of compassion with each of his characters and really emphasizes the true meaning of compassion.

    Read More

  • Elie Wiesel Rhetorical Analysis

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our world, I see many people that lack the ability to show compassion. They can be so selfish when they should be more selfless. Even I admit it, I am selfish sometimes and don't help others when they may need it. For this reason, I believe that compassion should be a human right. Many people will see a person or an animal in distress and think, “I don't need to help them; some other generous person will.” But in most cases, nobody ends up helping the distressed person or animal because every person thinks “it’s not their job to help” or “somebody else will do it.” I believe a right of compassion will make it human nature to help others without second

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Compassion By Barbara Lazear Ascher

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Compassion has became something rare in our society, and something that a lot of people lack. The author, Barbara Lazear Ascher, explains to us that compassion is not a character trait, but rather something that we learn along the way with the help of real life situations we encounter, such as the ones she encountered herself. Ascher persuades her audience that compassion is not just something you are born with by using anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and allusions.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Self-Compassion, Stress And Coping

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    The article identifies three primary features of self-compassion; self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. (Neff, 2003)

    Read More

  • Summary Of Adam Smith's The Theory Of Moral Sentiments

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    Smith argues that despite how self centered an individual may be, he or she will have interest in the welfare of others(source). Similarly, no matter how cruel or insensitive one may appear, he or she will be moved by the misfortune of another person. Smith examines compassion and pity, which is “the emotion we feel for the misery of others, when we see it or are made to think about it in a vivid way. The sorrow of others makes us sad” (Smith 1759). Therefore, it can be assumed that in times of a disaster one should become sympathetic for the victims of the

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird Compassion Analysis

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, once said “frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action” (values.com). When one thinks of compassion, sympathy and sorrow come to mind. However, compassion also is accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. This can be accomplished by standing up for what one believes is right. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee deeply develops her theme that compassion is understanding someone else’s perspective and using this compassion to stand up against society.

    Read More

  • Compassion Fatigue

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    The definition of compassion is “sympathetic consciousness of another’s distress with a desire to alleviate it” (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2011). Compassion and the desire to nourish may be the deciding factors that would lead one to pursue a career in nursing. Nurses over the span of their career will have extensive exposure to trauma, pain, and unfortunate situations. Workplace stressors such as scheduling and increasing workload along with repeated exposure to the hardships of others predisposes caregivers, especially nurses, to develop a unique type of burnout labeled compassion fatigue (Joinson 1992). Compassion fatigue develops when a nurse unintentionally takes on the misfortune, anxiety, pain, and trauma of the patients they care for.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of On Compassion

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Statistically, over 670,000 Americans are homeless with a growing number. 48 million people go to bed hungry every night. Although we do provide shelters and opportunities in America, millions of people are homeless worldwide. Even on a more minor level there are still hundreds homeless within hometowns. Everyday we encounter the homeless whether by seeing them holding their personal signs at stoplights, confronts with beggars, or viewing them from afar under bridges. In her essay titled “On Compassion”, writer Barbara Ascher uses rhetorical techniques detailing some of her personal homeless experiences within the city life, Asher does effectively use logos, pathos,

    Read More

  • Empathy In Nursing Practice

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    I had been assigned to a 96 year old patient with a diagnosis of failure to cope. Prior to entering the patient’s room I had made a mental assessment through my personal research and verbal report that he was known to be a non-compliant agitated patient. Although the patient was already labeled as a difficult patient I did not allow this to cloud my own personal judgment when meeting with the patient. While providing morning care I began to engage with the patient through conversation and shortly learned that the patient was still grieving the loss of his wife from 9 years ago, they had been married for 65 years. By showing empathy and listening to the patient explain his story I was able to develop a therapeutic relationship with the patient where trust was built and nursing care was provided efficiently. I wanted to further explore the impact empathy has on nursing care in such setting as acute care, and how vital this is to the human

    Read More

  • Self-Care in the Social Work Profession

    1783 Words  | 4 Pages

    Radey, M., & Figley, C. R. (2007). The social psychology of compassion. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(3), 207-214.

    Read More

  • Burnout in Nursing: What a Nurse Must Know to Rekindle the Flame

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nursing is a nurturing profession, and caring is an essential component of its practice. Caring for others, however, is stressful. The goal of nursing is to help people gain a higher degree of harmony within the mind, body and soul, which generates self-knowledge, self- reverence, self- healing and self-care processes while increasing diversity. This goal may be pursued through the implementation of ten carative factors, via the human-to-human caring process and caring transactions, or clinical caritas processes.

    Read More

  • The Mutuality Model

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stewardship. The principle of stewardship demands engagement in the promotion of compassion. It requires that the individual take responsibility for their role in the community. These responsibilities include an awareness of the issues which affect the group. This obligation demands that the individual place the needs of the community above their own personal interests. In placing community requirements above a singular agenda, the individual is encouraged to view the community with personal interest. Rather than a commitment to a set of individualistic values, the community member may seek to balance “individual freedoms against the common good” (Clear & Karp, 1999, p. 126).

    Read More

  • Two Nursing Theories: Theory on Human Caring and Theory of Adaptation

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jean Watson is a well-respected American nursing theorist who created the Theory on Human Caring. Watson’s concept on caring for a human being is simple, yet has much depth and meaning, and holds strong for nurses to work with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring. The Theory on Human Caring is necessary for every nurse, as it is our job to care for others in a genuine and sensitive way. The theory is extensive; its core foundation is based on nine concepts all interrelated and primarily focused on a nurse giving a patient care with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring (Watson, J., 1999). The nine essential aspects consist of: values, faith-hope, sensitivity, trust, feelings, decision-making, teaching-learning, environment, and human needs. Watson also created the Caritas Process consists of ten different ways of giving care:

    Read More

  • Self-Compassion And Motivation

    8620 Words  | 18 Pages

    People who have self-compassion are able to examine their thoughts and accept them as valid more than those who score lower on the SCS (Leary, Tate, Adams, Batts Allen & Hancock, 2007; Neff, Hsieh, Dejitterat, 2005; Neff et al., 2007). The difference is that self-compassion people create positive feelings by accepting their negative feelings, allowing themselves to experience them and not judging themselves harshly. Self-compassionate people tend to understand that all people have difficult situations. (Neff, 2003a) Emotional intelligence, wisdom, social connectedness and satisfaction with life in general are all associated with feeling self-compassionate (Neff, 2003a; Neff, Pisitsungkagarn and Hseih, 2008). Individuals who score high on the SCS tend to experience more happiness, optimism, curiosity, creativity and also more positive emotions that self-critical individuals (Hollis-Walker & Colosimo, 2011; Neff et al.,

    Read More

  • Importance Of Empathy In Society

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    Careers, school, work, activities, and spending time with friends are only some of the reasons why people are becoming inconspicuous and are unable to show compassion towards the problems and feelings of other people. Having compassion and sharing the feelings and problems of another is called empathy. Displaying empathy towards another person’s stress and worries is an extremely important concept that more people should know about because it will help both themselves and the other individual. Not only does it help them, but it helps shape society. Even adolescent students

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Compassion

Open Document