Compassion is selflessness at its finest and an important part of finding true inner peace. Therefore, compassion is deeply important to me. This world would be a better place if everyone in it had compassion towards one another. You never know what a person is going through. I believe a form of compassion is not only viewing people based on how they made you feel in that small moment, but instead understanding that if they were mean to you, they are probably mean to themselves behind closed doors, and it should not be taken personally. Compassion replaces the toxic emotion of feeling anger with feeling sympathy and understanding instead. If this were more commonly used in our society today, there would be less conflict. I can recall one specific memory where I showed compassion before I even knew what the word meant. I was in 5th grade (elementary school) when there was a new African American foster kid who obviously felt out of place in a predominantly Hispanic school. The students my age bullied him, excluded him, and treated him differently. I remember thinking about how lonely he must have felt playing handball by himself every recess and sitting alone to eat his lunch, so I became the first to talk to him, play with him, and be his friend. I didn't think much of it as a kid, but I guess my teacher observed this and thanked me for being “compassionate and kind”, then told my mom about it, and she thanked me too. After I became his friend, other kids started to be nicer and play with him too. This is an example of how powerful being compassionate towards one another can be, because my act of compassion led other kids to do the same. I still carry this same compassion throughout my life, and it is a character trait that I value deeply.
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