STEEM KIDS WORD DEFINITION SERIES. WHAT IS COMPASSION? 20% to steemkids

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What do you understand by compassion?

For me, i understand that compassion means the feeling of sympathy or pity and concern for the misfortunes of other people. It means to feel empathy and also show it with action such as giving a helping hand, providing relief or even helping dissolving an act that was causing suffering.

Who can show it and why?

I bet the right answer should be anybody can show it, but then, we are not all the same. Some people will never feel a pinch of anyone's pain, while others have sleepless nights over other people's misery that doesn't even concern them. The best example that i can share is the character of Robin Hood. This character is from the noble family in fictional England, but he chooses to live with the poor people and after seeing how unfairly they are taxed, decides to steal from the rich who are extravagant, to give back to the poor who are starving. This character acts as a compassionate friend because he cannot bare to see these poor people being treated unfairly and the rich prospering at the expense of the poor.

Have you shown someone compassion, how did you do that and how did the recipient feel?

Yes, i have. I have showed compassion to a friend of mine at school. Even though we don't go to school in Uganda anymore, everyday when i went to school and it was break time, i would feel bad. Not because i had no money for break snacks, but because of a certain girl called Lillian. You see she is an orphan and lives with her grandmother. They sell vegetables in the market and have very little. Sometimes she does not come to school for days because she has to work at the market. At break time if she made some extra money the previous market day, she would come with sweet potatoes wrapped in banana leaves. And she would gladly share them with me even when i had my own break pack. Many times however she did not have any, and she was sad. I made sure i told my mum i was very hungry and she should pack for me a heavy breakfast, which we would enjoy together. As long as she was not sad, i was happy to bring food. And in turn she also helped me with my Maths! You see, she is such a bright student.

Express your compassion to someone in a practical way.

In a practical way, i went to see my grandmother who is sick and i prayed with her. I also fed her her food, which of course she did not want to take. She has been bed ridden for days and we fear for the worst. But, as my mother always says, 'do the best you can, and leave the rest to God'.

Has anyone shown you compassion before and how did you feel when it was shown to you?

Yes, my science teacher showed me compassion before. When i fell sick at school, i could not walk back home to receive medication and so i slept in class. I was very little at the time and urinated in my school uniform while i slept on the school desk. She came to me, touched me and saw that i was crying. She lifted me up and carried me even though i was a stench and took me to the boarding section where she bathed me and put me to bed. She also washed my school uniform and put it in the sun to dry. By the time my mum came to pick me up, i was clean and That day, i felt good and i decided i want to a teacher when i grow up so that i can show the same to others.

Do you think compassion is a virtue that should be cultivated by all and be demonstrated in a practical way?

Yea, compassion should be cultivated because it can change the world. All these big organizations i hear like United Nations, UNICEF, Africa Aid, Compassion International and others have been formed because someone felt the compassion to help people feel loved and cared for and lead better lives. Without compassion, humanity is doomed. Our religions tell us we need to have and show compassion to others no matter how well off we are or not. Islam strongly emphasizes this as well as Christianity. Jesus Christ had compassion for the poor, the sick, the children, the blind, and the dead alike.

How did you learn to show compassion and where?

I learn alot from my mum and dad. My dad (step) is Muslim and my mum is Mormon. One thing for sure that i have learnt from them is to have concern for others. They teach us this in practical ways with the people they interact with such as the gateman, the house keeper, the waiter or the driver that works for us. They treat them as though they are family. And like giving tips now and then!

How will the world look like if everyone cultivates this quality?

The world will be a better place and no one will ever live in fear. Just as the example i gave above, there is harmony, unity, less suffering, development and trust in a system that is built from compassionate causes. Not even diseases like Covid-19 can drag us down, not famine or war! Not even religious differences can create havoc where there is compassion.