July - September 2015 •
The Lion King
• 45
By Moshood Azeez
The Virtue Called
Compassion
C
ompassion is a response to
the suffering of others that
motivates a desire to help.
However, compassion should not be
confused with sympathy or empathy.
To begin with, sympathy is feeling sorry
for another’s hurt or pain in which
there is an emotional distance, a dis-
connection. Empathy, on the next
rung of the ladder, takes things a
little deeper in that it is the ability to
experience some of the pain that the
other person may be passing through;
it is simply walking in another’s shoes.
Compassion, however, translates the
empathetic feeling into action, mak-
ing it comfortably sit at the top of the
emotional ladder.
True compassion reaches out to all
people, no matter whether they are
friends or foe. It is the willingness to
stand alongside someone and to put
their needs before our own. In a great
deal of measure, the care and con-
cern we have for others is a profound
outward expression of how we feel
about ourselves. For example, if you
are angry or distrusting of others, your
outward treatment of them is a reflec-
tion of how you see the world and
those in it. It is difficult to have com-
passion for those that are hungry until
you have been hungry. As we come
to respect ourselves, our respect for
others will increase. Equally, the oppo-
site is true.
Living a compassionate life can be
cultured – it is not just something that
some ‘extra-good’ persons are born
with. It is a learning curve and not
some divine endowment. Below are
some suggestions to develop our
compassion:
Setting Judgment Aside
Never be too quick to make nega-
tive assessments of others who do not
quite meet your expectations. Also,
remember that first impressions may
not always be accurate.
Understanding Viewpoints
Behavioural patterns are rooted in
some degree of rationality, which
most times are only evident to the
other person. Taking the time out to
inquire and ask questions will assist
a great deal in understanding their
perspective.
Express Appreciation
Constantly looking out for opportuni-
ties to contribute to the success or well
being of others goes a long way as we
feel more positive and our actions are
likely to be replicated by others.
Speaking Kind Words
Kind words are like buckets of water in
the Sahara. Not only will a kind word
lift a person in the blue moments, but
those words may completely impact
that person for the rest of their life.
Kindness begets kindness. If you are
kind to others, they will in turn be kind
to you and to those around them,
causing a wonderful ripple effect.
Productivity |
Feature
