According to Google’s definition, compassion means to feel sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. However, this is a rather sterile, uniform meaning. Compassion, to some people, is merely a definition you can find online or in a dictionary. My definition is quite different. I believe that compassion is a strong emotion that originates from the heart after seeing another’s suffering, and in turn, motivates you to end that suffering. When I say “another’s suffering” I don’t just mean “another person’s suffering.” I include all living beings within my definition, because in reality, how can you consider yourself compassionate if you only care to end people’s suffering?
Having compassion has benefits to all parties involved. Treating others with compassion leads to a happier and more peaceful life for yourself because you know in your heart that you did all that you could to end another’s misfortune instead of just turning a blind eye. This makes you an overall better person in the end and gives you peace of mind. For example, my family makes and sells bird houses out of the wood we have. The money people pay for the houses then gets donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. This is how we honor and say thank you to all the veterans who have been injured answering the call of duty.
In this day and age, we’ve all heard someone say, “Who cares what happened? At least it’s not me in that situation!” at least once. This is just heartbreaking to put it simply. We have become too preoccupied with our own wants and desires to genuinely care about the wellbeing of those around us. If everyone learned to be a little more compassionate, there would be no more hardships, no more abuse, no more hate. Everyone would reach out to help those in need to make for a better community and a better world. |
