Compassion is an essential attribute of morality.

COMPASSION

Compassion is a feeling of sympathy when we witness humans or animals suffering sorrowful, miserable or mourning situations. It seems easy to talk about compassion. However, in reality, it is very difficult to have such a noble virtue like compassion. Most of us may laugh and find it funny when seeing someone slip. When witnessing others' deaths in the accidents, most of us may feel afraid. Many may also look down on others' poverty and be indifferent when others are sick, etc. Compassion is rare in this world.

So when will we have true compassion? That is when we can feel the sorrows of others as if they were our own, when naturally sympathize with others' pains. Imagine someone who has never felt pity for others. Then one day, that person undergoes the terrible pain of kidney stones. After that, the feeling of compassion only arises in that person when he meets people with kidney stones. Those who have wisdom and virtue do not wait until they experience the miseries of others to have shared feelings with others' sorrow. Compassion is always ready and available in these people.

Those who have sympathy often do good deeds, rescue others, and do charity. Once we do good deeds, the law of karma will not let it vanish and we will be rewarded in a much greater way. This means that those who have compassion are those who have great blessings. If compassion appears at an early stage of one's life, this person tends to choose a career in which he may sacrifice himself for others.

We need to actively build compassion in our mind because we are not sure that we were born with compassion. We have to force ourselves to be compassionate for humans and animals suffering misfortune. We can keep reminding that to ourselves again and again. Gradually, compassion will grow little by little in our minds. If we keep telling ourselves like that, at the same time, trying to help others (humans and animals) within our ability, compassion will grow greater and greater in our minds.
Some careers are readily characterized with saving others such as doctors, caregivers, nurses. They entered the profession with the noble hope to save patients. However, after a long while, these people continuously experience work-related stress and whining patients.

They become too tired to maintain compassion. They will try to protect their souls by staying calm, relaxing, and finally become cold-hearted and emotionless. It is easy to witness a situation in which patients keep whining and their family members are worried sick, while doctors literally appear cold-hearted and emotionless. They may explain that they are letting the patients experience the pain to diagnose the disease easier.

It is rare to have those who can maintain compassion after years of working in healthcare services. The emotionless and cold-heartedness is a real phenomenon which seems to be necessary for doctors to remain calm and perform proper treatment. We should empathize with those who work in healthcare services.

However, losing compassion means losing a great wealth of our souls. Only stone seems not to need compassion. Once, people witnessed a scene in which a lion caught a little deer and then expressed its care and love. When there was another lion approaching to eat the little deer, the former tried its best to protect the deer. Many people watched this video with admiration. It is the same case for humans. Those who have compassion will receive admiration and love from others. Even Saints and Gods will also love those who have great compassion.

Compassion is an essential attribute of morality. We should step back to ask ourselves: " Have we got sufficient compassion to live this life?" If not, we ought to try our best to develop compassion. If just a little, we should cultivate it so that it grows much greater. This world is full of misery and sorrow and it is forever in need of compassion from humans.

Written by:
Janna

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