You might enjoy The Reign of Wolf 21

Empathy is what prevents indifference, the root cause of virtually all suffering man will ever face. — Outlander

Please explain further.

I believe people confuse emotion (empathy/sympathy) with compassion. Emotion is 100% about self, compassion (should be) 100% about other.

Compassion can take on any face.

compassion (should be) 100% about other. — synthesis

You can't have compassion for yourself?

I agree that sometimes people confuse emotionality with compassion because compassion is more than emotions. However, I am not sure at all about the way you divide emotion as being all about self and compassion as all about other. Okay, in some ways we can be restricted by virtue of emotion realm experience and perspective of the self, but I would say that our approach to others is connected to that towards others. The link is that our feelings towards others' needs stems from our understanding of our own individual ones.

You can't have compassion for yourself? — frank

I don't know. Is masturbation having sex with yourself?

don't know. Is masturbation having sex with yourself? — synthesis

Sort of.

...I would say that our approach to others is connected to that towards others. The link is that our feelings towards others' needs stems from our understanding of our own individual ones. — Jack Cummins

And that's exactly the problem. We are projecting our stuff instead of seeing what they need (as each individual/situation is unique).

The best anybody can do for anyone (including oneself) is to achieve a measure of clarity (awareness) so you can not only accurately perceive issues, but just as important, react appropriately (with the greatest skill).

Compassion is doing just this. Applying this to self would be like having a self and other in the mix. Seems unnecessary. Doing the appropriate thing is just doing the appropriate thing. Need more be said?

Perhaps any genuine understanding of others needs to overcome this projection of self onto others. I have experienced so much of this projection from others and it can be extremely toxic. People always seem to be giving advice and I think that I am allergic to advice It is always based on others' own experiences and ignores the whole way in which we are unique individuals.

I have done some training in counselling and the basic principle of most forms of counselling is the need to listen and not give advice. This makes sense to me, but I know that some people are put off counselling because the counsellor or therapist doesn't offer solutions. Personally, I see it as far more problematic if some one tries to guide another too directly because it is not possible to step inside another's own personal perspective truly.

I would say that understanding of others needs to overcome the attempt to know what the other needs entirely, and keep an open mind, allowing for unique individuality.

The best anybody can do for anyone (including oneself) is to achieve a measure of clarity (awareness) so you can not only accurately perceive issues, but just as important, react appropriately (with the greatest skill).

Compassion is doing just this. Applying this to self would be like having a self and other in the mix. Seems unnecessary. Doing the appropriate thing is just doing the appropriate thing. Need more be said? — synthesis

Let's call that Compassion A. It has to do with awareness and doing the right thing relative to correctly perceived issues.

This is not the Dalai Lama's mode of compassion. He tells a story about passing a lame child who seemed to be orphaned and alone. He felt compassion, but he did nothing for the kid. He didn't even stop to say, ”Hey, keep your chin up ya loser!". Instead he comments that having compassion helped him cope with a gastric issue he was having. No, really. It's in his book.

The Dalai Lama is supposed to be some sort of manifestation of the god of compassion or some such. Let's call it Compassion D.

Schopenhauer's compassion, call it Compassion S is particularly meaningful to me because it doesn't show up so much regarding people you like, but with reference to monsters and devils. Sinners. Compassion S is in that saying, "There, but for the grace of God, go I". This is the the type of compassion that judgmental assholes avoid, because they would have to put their judgements aside and stop being so freaking sadistic for a minute. Not that I have any strong feelings about sadistic assholes (I do).

I would say that understanding of others needs to overcome the attempt to know what the other needs entirely, and keep an open mind, allowing for unique individuality. — Jack Cummins

The idea of awareness is that the person is going to tell you what they need (even though they cannot see it themselves).

As well, I believe the only thing you can tell somebody is that they need to figure it out themselves (because they are the only one who actually knows their stuff). The skill then becomes how to get that message across.

You have to figure out what makes sense to you. Opinions are a dime a dozen.

You have to figure out what makes sense to you. Opinions are a dime a dozen. — synthesis

That wasn't very compassionate of you.

Why do you say that?

Why do you say that? — synthesis

Just kidding

It was quite interesting to read some of the thoughts of the Dalai Lama on the subject because I haven't read any of his writings, and I don't know why really.

What you said about Schopenhauer and sinners led me to think of how I learned of compassion initially in the context of being brought up as a Catholic. It involved going to regular confessions of sins. It used to be quite scary going into a little confession box and speaking to a priest, who was hidden behind a curtain. I was introduced to this practice at age 7 and even though it used to make me feel anxious, there was always the relief of having been absolved of sin, or forgiven.

The whole emphasis in Catholicism was upon being forgiven and of forgiving others, and I think this did involve a whole sense of compassion towards others, a sense of non-judgementalness towards fellow sinners. Of course, I am not saying that all the Catholics I met were non judgemental. Far from it, and I found the Catholic teachings gave me a lot of conflict. However, I was taught a basis of compassion, especially in the idea of Jesus being compassionate towards prostitutes and other sinners.

However, I was taught a basis of compassion, especially in the idea of Jesus being compassionate towards prostitutes and other sinners. — Jack Cummins

Yep. Treat others as you want to be treated.

Compassion perhaps is an individualised concept. What one might perceive as being compassionate others would class as cruel. In the example of Euthanasia's Animals, human or otherwise.

To explore if compassion has been "thrown in the rubbish bin" we would need to know the most presumed definition of compassion.

Compassion I always presumed to be an innate reaction to protect those or that we love selflessly.
For example to your child you would compassionate.

As for in this society, financial aspects and the lure of wealth and 'getting up the ranks' in society seems to have overcast the basic human reactions. In an More Economically developed country i would say compassion as taken a backseat as more focus is expressed in materialistic desires.
Whereas in poorer countries they do say a village raises a child. Whilst this is not accurate in all less economically developed places due to the current wars and civil wars, in places untouched by corruption and wealth. compassion is much easier found.

I began this thread from the starting point of how compassion has taken a backseat in Western materialistic society, and in Western philosophy. I do believe that different writers have used the term differently. During this thread the whole tension in the use of the term has been whether it is about empathy or a focus for acting and I would say that it is a mixture of both. It could be described as a way of valuing and was more predominant in traditional societies and it was more central within Eastern thinking, and it may have been driven out of focus in Western thought amidst a focus upon rationality and technological progress.