Compassion is an unstable emotion. It needs to be translated into action, or it withers. The question is what to do with the feelings that have been aroused, the knowledge that has been communicated. People don't become inured to what they are shown - if that's the right way to describe what happens - because of the quantity of images dumped on them. It is passivity that dulls feeling.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Feeling pity is not enough; compassion requires turning emotion into action or it fades, and numbness comes from passivity not from seeing too much.
- In plain terms
- Compassion must become action or it dies, and seeing too much does not numb us.
- What can you take from it?
- Translate empathetic feelings into concrete actions immediately.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What stops you from acting on compassion?
- How do you stay engaged?
Another view
Some situations limit the ability to act despite strong feelings.
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