Essay
by Diedre Whitmore
Webster
defines compassion as "sorrow or pity aroused by the
suffering or misfortune of another." Society, on the
other hand, has taken this sorrow or pity and added new
dimensions, giving the word more meaning than the simple
feeling of sympathy. The word compassion has taken on an
active connotation in America's culture today. It is usually
assigned to people that perform services or actively seek
out help for others, instead of simply pitying them. In
order to be compassionate, society has determined that the
compassion must be shown through work and effort, and in
doing so, society has greatly increased the significance
and honor of compassion.
As
I was growing up my greatest fear was not spiders or the
dark, but rather public places and being around large groups
of people. I was terrifyingly shy and therefore afraid of
new situations and meeting new people. It wasn't until I
started high school and began to get involved that this
started to change. My love for science led me to join the
Envirothon team, and in doing so, also happened to force
me into learning to give an oral presentation with a limited
amount of preparation. With a lot of practice and some new
techniques, I developed the ability to speak more comfortably
in front of an audience. The confidence this gave me helped
to lessen my fears of speaking in class and other group
settings. Surprisingly, this small change opened a whole
new perspective in my life. I was finally able to be more
comfortable around strangers and in turn, I was able to
notice more. I developed connections and friendships with
many different people I wouldn't have been able to talk
to as a child. With each person I met I realized how great
my community was and I began to acquire a real compassion
for the individuals.
Community
service projects through Interact exposed me to the less
fortunate within my city and enhanced this sense of compassion.
Because of this, I felt that I was extremely fortunate to
have been a part of each assignment Interact tackled the
last three years. Meeting and working with the volunteers
allowed me to really learn what the word compassion meant.
As president of Interact I was able to team up with some
of the most caring, interesting and definitely compassionate
people in my community. They were so eager to help and worried
about doing all that they could for the families, that it
was inspiring for me to be around. I learned how great it
felt to make a difference. Whereas in middle school I had
always felt I was a caring person, I never would have called
myself compassionate until I joined Interact and actually
started doing something for those who were suffering. While
caring is simply a foundation for compassion, I have learned
the importance of action. As a freshman I had that foundation
but lacked the confidence to build upon it. Extracurricular
activiities like Envirothon and Interact gave me the skills
to have confidence and in turn, compassion.
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