The Essence of Kindness and Compassion - Essay Example

You're 25 April 2006 The Essence of Kindness and Compassion The essence of compassion is almost minute in society today. At the same moment as this thought is elicited from the mind; it throws the consciousness into an absolute state of panic and turmoil. Therefore, we bring in the thought concept of philosophy and call on the writings of Dalai Lama to explain the idea of kindness and compassion much more clearly, as can be seen in the quotation: For if it is correct that those qualities such as love, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness are what happiness consists of, and if compassion is both the source and the fruit of these qualities, then the more we are compassionate, the more we provide for our own happiness.

Now, as a group, we can clearly see why the existence of humanity has always been based on the amount of kindness and compassion we share with one another. However, in present day, it would seem that the world is forgetting about these two gentle, yet powerful emotions of man kind, and because of this we are losing our ability to have true happiness in our lives. If we have truly lost the ability to have happiness, and peaceful cohesion in our lives, then perhaps we can at least hold onto some form of tolerance because, "it must be agreed, that in very many ways western society has improved, become more tolerant, freer, and more decently happy" (Murdoch 724) Yet, if this is the actual case, why is it then that when people pass by one another they often don't even glance up to speak a kind word as a friendly gesture, or when they bump into someone they can't even be kind enough to excuse themselves for their action Could it be that a horrible realization has dawned on many of a mind, and it is now recognized that compassion never really was but rather, a good majority of people walk around hate-filled, and resentful, filled with loathing for every little thing that goes wrong in their life Is there not truth to be found then that, "life itself forces us to posit values, life itself values through us when we posit values" (Nietzsche 704) What is a society today then, when we have lost all values, and further when we have obviously lost the will to want to be compassionate to one another, and can not even find patience to get along with one another So, in all honesty, has morality left mankind, left it to wander around aimlessly in a sea of anger and impatience, to never find one small fragment of true happiness in life again Has the reality of life changed to one that is filled with, "a system of morality which is based on relative emotional values as a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it, and nothing true" (Socrates 628) Is this actually how the world is destined to become, mindless robots filled with anxiety, depression, emotional upset, and unhappiness all the time So, it is supposed that because we only make choices to try and claim happiness, yet we can't because we have lost the ability to be kind to one another, we will continue on such a mind set with no hope for reversal to this empty feeling we've developed.

Furthermore, "while honor, pleasure, reason, and all the virtues, though chosen partly for them, (for we might not choose any one of them without heeding the result) are chosen for the sake of happiness which we suppose they will bring us" (Aristotle 657) So this makes a person wonder, following the beat of our own drummer, and ignoring the small gestures given to others, that are meant to bring happiness our way, creates not contentment with ourselves but rather disappointment Will happiness be able to be found once more, with the mere possibility of compassion still living in a portion of those making up man kind It is possible, and with this, there exists a feasibility to hope that one day the true meaning of happiness, that was once enthralled with life, will return to the center of humanity, breaking the chain of anger and disappointment entirely.