![jpg_20230829_105125_0000.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/kushyzee/23z7NNvvWVZYxMuR3unZULedwG5QFJdyzNYJApwjwixLaTEewRYLxSPP6oH45A2FUQzeu.jpg)

I'm not even going to beat around the bush on this one coz I believe we all know the meaning of virtue but there's one particular virtue I believe stands above all others and that is compassion. Everyone knows the word compassion but most people don't know what it truly means. According to **[Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion)**,Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves.

At the heart of compassion lies the ability to connect with others on a profound level. You might think that it's all about stepping into another person's shoes but that is just empathy and compassion goes beyond that. Empathy is about stepping into another person's shoes, knowing where it hurts, and understanding the pain but compassion takes it further by proferring solutions that will take away that pain or at the very least, reduce it. 

This simple yet profound act can dissolve animosities, build bridges and even mend broken ones. The world today lacks compassion and it's even getting worse every day, thanks to technology. In the past, for example, in the early 2000s, people in a neighborhood or community were very connected and had compassion for one another. You see parents taking care of other children when their parents aren't around, families cooking during big celebrations like Christmas or Easter and giving food to the bachelors around them, and a lot of other community-oriented acts.

![group-friends-spending-time-together.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/kushyzee/23yx26nztRjXkAPPPBG7shdandGDLwHJ463hVM6Q4MXLp8DiXPyGwn8yvyvv4tuTYTRh1.jpg)

But do we still have those today? Probably, but very rare. Neighbors no longer chat with each other again as they just come back from work or wherever and go into their respective homes. Parents see the kids of other parents doing something wrong and they simply just walk by; "I'm minding my business", they say. The worst one is people taking pictures or videos of a person or persons that need help. You see someone that got involved in an accident or met an unfortunate circumstance and instead of helping, you're taking pictures, Why? Because you want to chase clout on social media

In a community where compassion is cultivated and celebrated, a culture of support, understanding, and cooperation naturally flourishes. People are more inclined to extend a helping hand, offer a listening ear, and work together to overcome challenges. Such an environment helps everyone become better and feel like they're part of something bigger, creating a cycle of good vibes that benefits everyone involved.

There are times I have been hurt by the uncompassionate nature of others and one such experience happened recently which I talked about in depth in my previous article. But the summary of it all is that a friend owed me a substantial sum of money for several months (at least N10000 or $12 is substantial in the life of a Nigerian student) and I could have asked him for it anytime but I decided to leave it because I noticed he was struggling financially with a lot of things.

![business-trouble.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/kushyzee/23wgatjXenidmmnBKrnNWj8y3YsFArRhtq5i9ibSmFei8BtMBcHTU2AghZfVGjwpRrq3i.jpg)

Then when I noticed he had started doing well financially and was even going to pay for a jacket that costs the same amount he owed me, I confronted him about paying back the money I loaned him but he brushed it off like it's nothing. This is someone who knew exactly what my financial life was like at that moment, I didn't even have up to N2000 ($2.5) in my bank account because my final year project gulped up my savings.

It was after I acted out and lashed out at him in public that he casually told his girlfriend to send me the money. I mean, he had the money all this while and knew what I was going through financially (he is a very close friend and also my roommate), What stopped him from paying back? I gave him that money when he needed it, but he failed to realize I needed it too, and even after telling him I needed it, what did he do? He brushed it off like it was nothing.

Things like that happen because people fail to into other people's shoes. This is why empathy and compassion are closely related; you need to be able to step into someone's shoes (empathy) before you can know how to help them (compassion). It might sound like something that isn't important but even the Bible says in Matthew 7:12; "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets". So the next you feel like hurting someone, first ask yourself: "How will I feel if this same thing is done to me?". And that my friends, is the golden rule.

**Thanks for reading**
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<div class = phishy> 
<strong>Lead image: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/confused-boyfriend-happy-girlfriend_9119320.htm#query=Compassion&position=46&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by cookie_studio</a> on Freepik </strong> <br>
<strong>Edited with Canva</strong> <br>
<strong>First image: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/group-friends-spending-time-together_2458064.htm#query=Compassion&position=23&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by rawpixel.com</a> on Freepik </strong> <br>
<strong>Second image: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/business-trouble_5403447.htm#query=Compassion&position=34&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by pressfoto</a> on Freepik </strong> <br>
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