compassion
mid-14c., from O.Fr. compassion , from L.L. compassionem (nom. compassio ) "sympathy," from compassus, pp. of compati "to feel pity," from com- "together" + pati "to suffer" (see passion).
Most people do not think of compassion as a political term, but that is how it began, in its purest form, and where the word originated. It has been used in so many different ways over the ages that it has almost lost its meaning. So many religions and service organizations speak of compassion in their fund raising activities that the word is almost synonymous with pity. The superior person has compassion for the nameless poor on the streets, and gives money to an organization to alleviate the guilt brought on by the feeling. The trouble is, compassion has nothing to do with pity, and has no judgment or guilt attached. Compassion is intended for humanity to understand one another at the most basic emotional level.
When the Greeks established the first democracy in Athens around 500 BCE, the government was intended to give power to the people (the poloi, or citizens, who were men who owned property, but let us not be distracted by the misogyny of the past), and this early version of democracy was fully invested in keeping the people happy in whatever way it could. The mental health and commonality of the inhabitants must be maintained if a true democracy is to exist- if the poloi is allowed to fester or falter, if the people are divided, the decisions of the masses are not going to be in the best interest of the society, but only of the individual.
The original meaning of compassion was to feel together; the Athenians were required to attend dramatic and cathartic productions on holidays, and each person, rather than rolling their eyes and suffering through the boredom, invested themselves so fully that the entire group was known to weep openly with the distress of the characters. These plays were not simply the entertainment that we create for ourselves today. Instead, it was structured and regulated to show the political movements of the past year in a way that would draw out the emotions and passions of the audience in sympathy for the enemies, in understanding of horrors far beyond the rational comprehension of the average Athenian.
Compassion, Noun-
The feeling of distress and pity for the suffering and misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it.
In this age of reality television and internet videos ranging from painful crotch shots to gruesome beheadings, we have distanced ourselves from the horror and pain of what we see on a daily basis. In order to pull at the emotions of the common man today, the passion evoked has to be more extreme by the day, and almost by the hour. Instead of letting ourselves feel things along with those we watch, or opening our hearts to the painful emotions around us, we steel ourselves to it with a jaded worldliness. We remind ourselves on occasion that we need to use a "willing suspension of disbelief" in order for a story to let us feel its message. We remind our children that what they see on television is not real- from the Looney Tunes attempting to murder one another to the Back to the Future movies, where the atomic-power hungry Libians take down the beloved Doc. Our disbelief is ingrained by all this training, and so pervading that we no longer know how to feel compassion.
~ Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into peoples' hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human 'brain' with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human 'heart' with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is. ~
The more knowledge we gather, the more distance we give ourselves from the subjects of that knowledge. Watching the reality television shows allows us to laugh at the pain of others rather than identify with it. Amazingly, putting a frame around the television allows us to separate ourselves from the actions in a way that the Greeks would never have even considered. Analyzing the plot, the production value, the special effects, and the acting of the players solidifies our necessary separation and keeps distance between the character and the feeling. We allow ourselves to objectify those human actions and feelings to the point where they no longer resemble the actions and feelings of our selves. My pain is somehow different than any other pain, because it means more. Using the same words to describe my pain and that of Snookie cheapens my experience rather than validating hers. We do the same thing with people who are in front of us- dismissing people as if they were simply fictional characters in the story of our own lives.. How many times have you scrolled past Facebook posts of loneliness, misery, and confusion while barely registering the human feeling behind it?
~ I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it ~
I have committed myself to compassion with the Charter for Compassion, begun by Karen Armstrong and TED in 2008. The goal is to cross the boundaries of nationality, religion, and prejudice and come to an understanding of our world community. There is no need to join a group or club, send anyone money, or devote your time to the poor and needy, though these are all good ways to get involved. Instead, it asks people to attempt a new way of thinking- a feeling together in order to "break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries". More than that, many of us who have felt so alone in this digital world can have the opportunity to connect to one another in a way that seems to be vanishing from our human concept of society.
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