Cultivating Compassion

[not sure]

A conviction is a firm belief. It has nothing in itself to do with compassion, urges, pain or suffering. You can have strong opinions (convictions) about these things.

 

[Trifoilum]

Empathy/compassion - innate understanding of another person's motives, struggles, feelings, drivers - everything that makes them them.

Sympathy - giving a shit, feeling bad for them, sometimes includes forgiveness.

You don't cultivate compassion. If you are very unempathic, you may need to learn patterns within people to approximate what might be going through their minds rather than it being an automatic intuitive process. People with automatic intuitive empathy learned to do that very, very young, which is why it does not feel learned. It is always learned, but some people lean that way in their early years (Ni is paramount to empathy because it "magically" knows - its a set of experiences into which you catalogue new info to see where it fits and what it means).

I have to agree to most of them -- except that empathy and compassion is 'together'. Most of the time, they -do- but no, the good ol' words 'hell is paved with good intentions' is compassion without empathy (or basically, just good intentions without any consideration of the receiver), and empathy is completely possible without compassion. I, personally, have been there. (court politics.)

I have lived my entire life in a third world country. What effect is that to have on my compassion?

I would argue that the implication of this one path is 'you'll never feel hell if you don't feel heaven'. But it requires one to -start- in a first world country, before going to a third world country, then going back.

To be honest, as someone living in a third world country (somewhat. Developing, at the very best), this instead deadens my compassion; you become used to starved children and crippled homeless autistic half naked -- thing.

I was under the impression that it happens on its own if you meditate.

My other suggestion would be to volunteer to do things to help people, and then that would also cultivate it.

True enough. Could you elaborate on meditation, though?

Look at a hive of ants for a while, see how they work together to make Home home.
Find a recount of how a dolphin has saved a human's life out of free will.
Locate a picture of Antarctica and compare it to, say, America's New York or Chicago -
observe how such difference can come from a once-unified object.

Understanding how small one really is, yet how great one's ripples can be;
that is compassion, I believe. Validation of a separate entity based purely
on the premise of mutuality.

......It depends on where are you looking from, I suppose. Is it compassion, or just mutual teamwork, done to ensure the best result possible?

The usual cynicism-idealism dichotomy.

Let us dig a little bit: Why do you want to cultivate compassion?

Personally, no particular reason. I think of it as a trait and skill worthy to be learned
Generally, I'm sure people have their own reasons. It's not like compassion by itself is -bad-.
True, the direction differs. But that does not mean one can't be one and the other. And it comes in steps.

^ Agreed. Compassion on its own is worth little, it must walk hand-in-hand with other things and be a product of activity.

I would assume all virtues are. What use are there for hidden treasures?

Get your mind off: how the situation could be improved; how their situation affects you; how they have contributed to their situation.


After all of that, all there is left is them and their situation.


Voila. Compassion.

Hmm. Good enough, personally saying.

 

[not sure]

To be honest, as someone living in a third world country (somewhat. Developing, at the very best), this instead deadens my compassion; you become used to starved children and crippled homeless autistic half naked -- thing.

For me personally, I think where I live has no effect on my compassion. [MENTION=3454]DrShephard[/MENTION] said or implied earlier that you either have compassion or you don't. I think that's how it is for me. Some days I have it and others days I don't. Who is to say when I'll be moved or what will move me?

Also, the reference to third-world countries made earlier on, implies that witnessing or experiencing poverty in contrast to wealth will stir compassion. However, compassion can be had for many other situations that have nothing to do with prosperity.

>>As an aside: I don't make the distinction between third-world and developing. It's just the jargon of economists and has no real world meaning to me.

 

[grt$5vb]

This thread is hands down the best I've encountered, since I've been here. Just the fact that this discussion is being had with so many differing view points, stemming from so many varying life experiences. What are the odds that a real life conversation of this importance & magnitude could be had around a dinner table with this many amazing people, perspectives, and considerate attitudes??? Slim to none, I'd venture to guess.

This forum, this thread, and all you participants are amazing. I value your imprint on my life. I am thankful for the opportunity to interact with all of you.

All apologies for the derailment. Do carry on.

 

[Trifoilum]

For me personally, I think where I live has no effect on my compassion. @DrShephard said or implied earlier that you either have compassion or you don't. I think that's how it is for me. Some days I have it and others days I don't. Who is to say when I'll be moved or what will move me?

Also, the reference to third-world countries made earlier on, implies that witnessing or experiencing poverty in contrast to wealth will stir compassion. However, compassion can be had for many other situations that have nothing to do with prosperity.

>>As an aside: I don't make the distinction between third-world and developing. It's just the jargon of economists and has no real world meaning to me.

I don't know; that would be a chicken and egg question. Because then the factors went deeper, such as; the effect of living in another country / living in another environment, the changes, the reception against the changes...

All in all, I think it would differ, but location can be one of many factors from which compassion could develop -- or wither. Such is prosperity. Or rather, I'd say it's sudden contrast within people's living condition, not prosperity by itself. I'd personally say having stages of increasing comfort levels can deaden one's compassion, because the disparity keeps getting wider and wider while the people involved is used to it.

I agreed about the distinction point, but I wonder if my country are willing to be put in the same place as other unfortunate countries...hence my personal distinction.