the wise work for the welfare of the world …
perform all work carefully, guided by compassion
bhagavad gita 3:25
I didn’t move on because the word compassion grabbed me. Sort of. Smiling, I searched for the definition and was astounded that my understanding of the word was incorrect.
Merriam-Webster: com· pas· sion / kəm-ˈpa-shən
:sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it
shook my head … that’s not quite right.
Oxford English Dictionary
The feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it; pity that inclines one to spare or to succour.
Then the word succour jumped too =). Could I use it? It makes sense since socorro is one of the words in Spanish for help. Not as in helping with groceries, but as in helping someone in distress, a word used in both dictionaries. Akin to relief.
see, i thought compassion was only a form of pity, but it entails much more, and perhaps that is why it always touches me.
