"Compassion"

Compassion


I believe that one of the greatest problems we face on our world today is a lack of sympathy, empathy and personal connections. Many people today are desensitized and there is a disconnect between the impacts of one's decision on another person. Compassion by Marc Bekoff is one of my favorite readings in The Thirty Year Plan. I have heard before how elephants have human-like qualities of compassion towards others in their herd. They mourn deaths of other elephants and help those that are crippled. Many people think animals have no sense of emotion; although, it seems to me that elephants are more emotional and compassionate than us. I feel that the world would be an entirely different place if people made decisions based on how it would affect others and had compassion for not only other human beings, but all living objects. From people with different ethnicities to the environment, humanity needs to act with more compassion. As Bekoff states, acting with “empathy and sympathy, will help us cross the boundaries we have created.” We must change our mindset to one with a more sensitive, global outlook. It is heard many times that technology has lead to “desensitizing” people. People communicate through computer screens, with no physical or even face to face contact. It can be hard to feel sympathy for someone or something you have never seen or met before, although it is a crucial part of communication. We must step out from behind technology to face our problems. Personal relations and contact will help us to form compassion for one another. “Compassion will help us overcome our alienation from nature.” The example of the elephants shows us that humans need to step back from technology and learn from animals and nature. Sympathy for things on earth will help many of the problems we face today. “As we heal animal and ecosystems, we will increasingly find that we are also healing ourselves.”