holdingelderlyhand-1In a world with so much suffering and pain, compassion has the ability to connect and heal. Starting with our families and friends, and extending into larger communities, and out to the world in general, compassion can open our hearts and souls to a greater way of living.

The trick is that compassion means different things to different people. A lot of it boils down to an individual’s motivation. From the big picture, there are two primary motivations that drive compassion: sympathy and empathy.

Sympathy comes from the ancient Greek word sunpathos, which includes the concept of suffering and pity, whereas empathy comes from the Greek word empátheia, which means passion. To actually feel someone’s pain is to be empathetic, and to be passionate to help that person create a different experience. This usually has a positive effect on both individuals. Read full article here.