Compassion: a Requirement and an Expectation

There is a fear that violence, so frequent and extreme, may be inseparable to our nature. But it is often forgotten that we also have a deep-seated capacity for compassion. On this, perhaps we can rely. It comes naturally to us in the form of empathy, as a need to quell another’s sadness with kindness and understanding. Likewise, it is essential to human relationships, a necessary tenet to building and keeping them. Compassion, because of these reasons, has the ability to break down political, economic, and religious boundaries – these very walls that have caused centuries of war and strife. By analyzing what compassion means to us and how we can incorporate it into the fabric of our society, we may just find an answer that will assist us in our never-ending struggle for peace.

“You know, there's a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit - the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us - the child who's hungry, the steelworker who's been laid-off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this -when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers - it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help.” This was said by our President, Barack Obama. He describes compassion perfectly, and manages to illustrate exactly why it is so important to our world. Compassion, according to most people, is a form of empathy felt at another’s hardships. It is a deep desire to help each other, to be there for each other. It is a wish and a hope that others be free from suffering. When people think of compassion, they might think of the Haiti earthquake, and the massive movement that ensued to help and provide resources. The earthquake is a huge example of how compassion can get people working together. Also, in most world religions, compassion is a common theme and main virtue. It is something we all know of, and all, if only briefly, have felt. It is that connection that will bring compassion forward as a necessary tenet in a more stable future.

While compassion already exists in our lives, it needs to be more deeply incorporated within them. Compassion must be given a more permanent home in our culture, our society, and our hearts. To do this, our children must be educated about it from the start. Compassion should be taught in schools and included in lesson plans. As we teach a child not to pick up a gun, we must teach him or her to be there for the child who has. College must have credit courses on compassion, possibly even required for graduation. Compassion should be a requirement and an expectation (a small price for world peace). People cannot be taught how to feel, but they can be encouraged and rewarded. Compassion needs to be exposed in literature, and new literature about or created out of compassion may be written. Other forms of entertainment must reflect compassion also. Music, movies, and television – these things we see and hear every day – they must, as frequently as possible, show knowledge of and rejoice in compassion. Compassion shouldn’t be just written in the margins of our lives. It needs to be in the text itself. We must start a dialogue on compassion with the entire world, and let it go on forever.

Because compassion is one thing all have in common, it is something we can all understand. Due to this, it may just be able to break down religious, economic, and political barriers. In all religions, compassion exists. In no church or temple shall it be turned away. In all social classes, compassion is possible. It is what created the soup kitchens and the shelters, the charities and nongovernmental organizations around the world. Those things were born of emphathy, and empathy continues to feed them every day. Finally, regardless of political party or government, compassion, even at that level, remains. We wouldn’t have welfare, food stamps, or other forms or government assistance programs without compassion. Look at everything compassion has done for us thus far. The question is, how much further can we take it? Why should there be a limit? Used creatively, integrated into the very fabric of our lives, compassion could heal our capacity for violence and continue to change societies and the world.

The opening words of the UN charter state that the purpose of the UN is “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal rights of men and women, and or nations large and small…” It is compassion that allows these things. It was our innate need to consider others, to assist them in times of struggle because we too have seen our own. Without compassion, perhaps the UN would not have been possible, or any other peace efforts and organizations around the world. Thanks to compassion, one day this amazing world will have the opportunity to see peace, longlasting and abundant.