Word: compassion

Associations

Compassion means feeling sympathy and concern for someone who is suffering. It is about wanting to help those in need.

• When a friend loses a loved one, you show compassion by comforting them and offering support.
• A doctor demonstrates compassion when they listen to a patient's worries and care for their health.
• Volunteering at a homeless shelter is an act of compassion because you empathize with people in difficult situations.

A well-known synonym for compassion is "empathy," but compassion includes a desire to help, while empathy is just understanding or sharing the feelings of others.

Substitution

You can use other words or phrases in place of compassion, such as:

• Sympathy: This focuses more on sharing someone's feelings without the intention to help.
• Kindness: This refers to being nice and considerate but isn't always tied to suffering.
• Caring: This means being concerned about others in a general way, not just in a difficult situation.

Deconstruction

The root of the word compassion comes from the Latin "compassio," which means "to suffer with."

• The prefix "com-" means "with," and the root "passio" means "suffering."
• Together, they convey the idea of sharing someone's pain or suffering.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you showed compassion to someone? What did you do?
• How do you think showing compassion affects the person receiving it?
• Are there situations when you might struggle to show compassion? Why do you think that is?