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Old 08-01-2019, 02:33 PM
 
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How is compassion different from empathy? How do you differentiate between them?
And how is this part of your chosen path of religion and spirituality, and your daily life?

the focus is to discuss you and your path and your daily life and your understanding.
not to weigh in on other people and other paths.

Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 08-01-2019 at 03:00 PM..
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Old 08-01-2019, 03:19 PM
 
Location: Sun City West, Arizona
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tzaphkiel View Post
How is compassion different from empathy? How do you differentiate between them?
And how is this part of your chosen path of religion and spirituality, and your daily life?

the focus is to discuss you and your path and your daily life and your understanding.
not to weigh in on other people and other paths.
To me, empathy is being able to understand the problems of another person based on things you have gone through yourself.

Compassion is having concern for someone even though you can't understand where they're coming from.
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Old 08-01-2019, 04:06 PM
 
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I have never really thought about the difference between the two words. I spent 3 hours or m9re yesterday driving an injured bird from near our yard to a rehab centre. I believe that was compassion not emphathy. Perhaps the emphathy wss in wondering how scarey it was for her to have an injured wing and them be grabbed , placed in a box and dive for over an hour and then handle by other people.

T9 me I think emphathy is more for members of a group being mistreated or unfortunate situation such as how minorities may be treated or the citizens of a village being shelled. I have compassion for individuals being physically or emotionally harmed or those who have suffered a loss.

I was not raised religiously or as an atheist so i credit my compassion and emphathy being raised as a human. Having a dog also helped but most of all my parents were not bigots or hate mongers. And as an adult i mixed with a variety of folks from University professors to the poor to construction and office workers to an ex drug addict dealer.
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Old 08-01-2019, 04:12 PM
 
Location: S. Wales.
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Originally Posted by phetaroi View Post
To me, empathy is being able to understand the problems of another person based on things you have gone through yourself.

Compassion is having concern for someone even though you can't understand where they're coming from.
That's what occurred to me. The difference is: 'I've been there - i know what you're going through' and 'Luckily, I haven't gone though that, but i can guess what it would be like'.
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Old 08-01-2019, 09:09 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tzaphkiel View Post
How is compassion different from empathy? How do you differentiate between them?
And how is this part of your chosen path of religion and spirituality, and your daily life?

the focus is to discuss you and your path and your daily life and your understanding.
not to weigh in on other people and other paths.

I look at empathy as what you feel for an individual- feeling their pain and suffering in their particular condition, wanting to ease their pain, give them comfort.

Compassion is more expansive, and comprehensive. It is a general feeling towards all people, all animals, even for trees and other living things, and you feel this general feeling of good will towards the world you live in, towards all mankind, and every living and inanimate thing it contains. Compassion also seem mixed in with forgiveness, and thus more of a divine grace you seek, and also seek the grace to return it back to the world.


In my own life I consciously try to be kind, and yes it is an effort for me which I admit to myself. So I do need to remind myself to have patience, to be empathetic, be mindful and look for opportunities to be kind. And also appreciate the kindness from others, sometimes strangers.
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Old 08-01-2019, 11:29 PM
 
Location: S. Wales.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cb2008 View Post
I look at empathy as what you feel for an individual- feeling their pain and suffering in their particular condition, wanting to ease their pain, give them comfort.

Compassion is more expansive, and comprehensive. It is a general feeling towards all people, all animals, even for trees and other living things, and you feel this general feeling of good will towards the world you live in, towards all mankind, and every living and inanimate thing it contains. Compassion also seem mixed in with forgiveness, and thus more of a divine grace you seek, and also seek the grace to return it back to the world.


In my own life I consciously try to be kind, and yes it is an effort for me which I admit to myself. So I do need to remind myself to have patience, to be empathetic, be mindful and look for opportunities to be kind. And also appreciate the kindness from others, sometimes strangers.
That's a different 'take' on the meanings than others, but that's ok, if you say what you mean. It avoids any confusion, and I prefer not to tell people they have to think how the dictionary may define it, never mind how i might.
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Old 08-02-2019, 04:41 AM
 
15,856 posts, read 6,922,107 times
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Originally Posted by TRANSPONDER View Post
That's a different 'take' on the meanings than others, but that's ok, if you say what you mean. It avoids any confusion, and I prefer not to tell people they have to think how the dictionary may define it, never mind how i might.
Why bother saying anything if you don’t mean it!
Yes, words have meaning to us apart from the dictionary and many connotations and responses. The difference the OP asked for me is compassion has an element of mercy and that requires a certain kind of authority to grant it.
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Old 08-03-2019, 09:59 AM
 
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Some people's idea of compassion is my idea of idiotic foolishness.
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Old 08-03-2019, 10:03 AM
 
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And there are others. Like some "religious" people who take pride in not hurting an insect. While their entire philosophy is self-centered.
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Old 08-03-2019, 10:07 AM
 
Location: S. Wales.
50,082 posts, read 20,556,241 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cb2008 View Post
Why bother saying anything if you don’t mean it!
Yes, words have meaning to us apart from the dictionary and many connotations and responses. The difference the OP asked for me is compassion has an element of mercy and that requires a certain kind of authority to grant it.

That's fine. I was rather pointing out that the different 'take' didn't necessarily imply contradictory views, but applying words differently to ideas that, in fact, we might not disagree on. It clears up any possible unfortunate misunderstanding.
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