hilitehead

“Generally speaking, as I said, compassion is the wish that others should be free of suffering, but if we look into it more closely compassion has two levels. In one case, it may exist simply at the level of a wish – just wishing the others to be free of suffering – but it can also exist on a higher level, where the emotions continue beyond the mere wish to include the added dimension of actually wanting to do something about the suffering of others. In this case, a sense of responsibility and personal commitment enters into the thought and emotion of altruism.”