Compassion

Compassionis the ability and the willingness to enter into the chaos, the pain, the suffering and the story of another allowing it to affect us though it were our own. When a reflex reaction causes us to help a stranger, with no motivation other than that person is in need, our compassion is in action. Compassion is not sympathy or pity: “The arch-enemy of compassion is pity. Pity puts distance between you and the person you are pitying. Compassion puts the two of you on the same level, enabling you to work together to change the situation, or at least to make it more bearable”. (Sr Ann Ward)

USA