Empathy Vs. Compassion Essay - 1293 Words

Often when using the words of empathy and compassion, many people envision them as having similar meaning. While they may share similar circumstances, they are actually quite different. Empathy is more of an emotional response with an understanding of a person’s particular situation; whereas compassion is an emotion that arouses an active response to alleviate a distressful situation. Nevertheless, these dissimilar expressions are paramount in the way people respond to the individual needs of others and how they reach out to others in their local communities. Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay â€Å"On Compassion† not only creatively offers a very detailed description of the day in the life in New York City, but effectively draws a picture of†¦show more content†¦Empathy is an innate trait that all humans have and it is the one that we most readily feel, while compassion is a feeling that must be acquired. Ascher astutely points out that â€Å"empat hy is the mother of compassion† (par.13). In this noteworthy parallel, Ascher compares empathy to a nurturing mother and compassion to the fruit of her labor. Like a mother who has an inherent instinct to protect and teach her young, so too does one have an innate understanding and sensitivity to the feelings and experiences of another, and it is only from these life experiences that the birth of a new awareness is brought forth in the form of compassion. Similar to a mother’s tutelage, Ascher describes compassion as a â€Å"learned† behavior that allows one to consciously act upon the distress of others by actively alleviating it. According to Ascher, â€Å"Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our window†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (par.13). In other words, true compassion can only be learned when one is faced with it every day of ones life and that once it becomes â€Å"familiarà ¢â‚¬ , only then it can become identifiable and conjure empathy. Ascher’s â€Å"On Compassion† offer readers a brief encounter with New York City’s citizens as they confront the less fortunate members of society- the homeless. She describes a young mother walking down the street with her baby in a stroller who becomes agitated upon seeing a homeless man walkingShow MoreRelatedTo Empathize Or Not To Empathize That Is The True Question.976 Words   |  4 Pagesempathize or not to empathize that is the true question. The controversial issue of what empathy means, and whether it is useful or just a hindrance has been and is still talked about today. On one end of the spectrum, empathy is defined â€Å"†¦as a person’s ability to recognize and share the emotions of another person† (Burton) which brings to mind the old saying â€Å"I feel your pain† (Ferriell). 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