Comments on: True Compassion

By: Presidential Debate: Who’s Responsible for the Financial Crisis? | The A-Team Blog

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:40:02 +0000

[…] couldn’t afford to. This was done out of compassion, but as I’ve explained before, misplaced compassion can have disastrous consequences when it directs government policy at the expense of standards and […]

By: Controlling the Nurturing Instinct | The A-Team Blog

Controlling the Nurturing Instinct | The A-Team Blog — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 02:31:25 +0000

[…] discussion here on “True Compassion” took an interesting turn. Are men better equipped to be leaders […]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 19:09:07 +0000

Just ran accross this statement: “In the Bible, compassion always means action on behalf of someone. Study Jesus' life. It's not sentiment, but action.” This is from http://www.hopeforlife.org/faith/. Good to see that others have seen the same thing, from a completely different context. The essence of Compassion is the act. Follow this understanding to its many implications and it makes perfectly clear our place and purpose in the world.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 20:34:55 +0000

Amy: Thank very much for reading my article. I much appreciate your giving it your time. I seriously doubt we differ significantly, although the words may differ. After all, our views on what it means to be human and our purpose is of no real importance, is it? What is important is what it actually means to be human and what is our actual purpose. I'm delighted to abandon my views at any time for the actual. And since we are both actually human, well, obviously the differences cannot be actual, only verbal. I look forward to reading further.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 16:00:12 +0000

Michael, I read your article on compassion. We have very different views on what it means to be human and what our purpose is here on this earth. So I welcome you here, and I hope you'll continue to read this blog and give your input so we can discuss these extremely important topics as they come up here. Thanks for stopping by!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 01:22:05 +0000

The key to understanding compassion is that there are 2 things. There is Compassion, and there is the perception of Compassion. These things hold the same relationship to each other that a tree and the perception of a tree hold to each other.
Now it is not Compassion unless there is an action. If there is only thought and perception then it cannot be Compassion. That is, if someone claims to “have compassion” for the suffering of another but fails to relieve that suffering when she can, her claim of “having compassion” is not credible. Acting to change the situation is a necessary element to identify the existence of Compassion. Anyone can claim to be thinking anything they like. The proof is in the action.
Furthermore, if someone claims not to have compassion, but acts compassionately anyway, it is in no one's interest to deny the Compassion of those actions, no matter what the actor may claim. Again, the proof is in the action.
So Compassion is the action and the perception of Compassion is our judgement about that action, be it ourselves or another. Once one sees this is becomes clear that thought is not required for Compassion, and brute, dumb animals, and even plants and inanimate objects may be capable of Compassion, depending upon your point of view as to whether they are capable of action or not. They may not be capable of the perception of Compassion — that may be uniquely human. But if they may be able to act, since we see that it is the act itself that determines the Compassion, they may be able to show Compassion.
For those of us who believe we see Compassion from the non-thinking majority of our universe, the argument over whether Compassion arises from intellect or from emotion seems silly. Neither is required. Compassion arises from another source, wholly beyond ourselves.
If anyone would care read further on my views on this fascinating subject I direct you to http://towardsfreedom.com/RTWhatIsCompassion.html.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:17:11 +0000

Bill, I actually wasn't basing the comment on Scripture, but on observation. I'd like to flesh out this new angle a bit more, so I'll blog on this later today.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 17:57:32 +0000

I can appreciate the tendencies toward these differences between men and women, Amy. We are clearly different, men from women. There was a time in Western society when it was commonly accepted that women were not rational, logical beings. While I affirm that we are different in the way that you describe, I still believe that women are able to overcome the nurturing impulses you describe to make sound reasonable decisions. I think that you demonstrated that in your difficult decisions regarding your friends.
I do not speak against men being the leaders in their families, or in other situations. I hold the position tentatively, though. I believe my understanding of the power relationship that is suggested by this structure is different from the understanding some other more conservative people would have.
I appreciate and respect, Amy, the way your views are a submission to your interpretation of scripture. At the same time, I see in scripture a reasonable trajectory toward an equality of opportunity for men and women in roles of leadership.
To sum up, I respect and appreciate what I believe to be your position, but I also affirm a position that you might find contrary to your own.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:34:22 +0000

Bill, this is very insightful of both you and, I think, the differences between women and men in general.
“It is just that I can't identify with the experience Amy describes of having a strong impulse to do something to alleviate the person's immediate suffering when I know rationally that what is best for them is to continue suffering.”
Not to start a new controversy here, but this is precisely why I think men should be the heads of families and churches. Nurturing empathy is essential in certain situations but can be detrimental in areas of leadership if it isn't controlled and submitted to reason. In general, men are better at this. Unfortunately, I think women do often wrongly accuse men of being cold-hearted.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 20:46:17 +0000

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