Sympathy vs compassion...

Sympathy vs compassion...

I would like to think that I have compassion, but really, WTF happen to us? When did society change so much that any such act became stories that we "wow" at? Quick question, you see a hungry man on the sidewalk maybe drunk, maybe stone or maybe not, but for sure, he is a hungry man who has nothing but the rags on his back and the bags by his side. What do you do? Nowadays, we walk by without noticing, we all have economical ups and downs to deal with, kids, spouse, illness and other expenses but really, would buying this man a sandwich and a coffee put us that much back in our savings for our next vacation? Come on, hard times come to all of us but eventually it also leaves. However, for some people, hard times comes, makes a home for itself, and remains. What happens then, where are all those whom have known hardships and struggles and eventually made it out of the “gutter” should they not understand better than anyone what are hardships are and what they can do?

Seriously, when has it all change to a point that when basic help is needed we look away? However when we hear on social media of someone or a group that lands a helping hand everyone is awed by the gracious acts of kindness, how righteous they are yaddi-yaddi-ya.

I’m the first to understand that it’s not always possible to make a financial donation, heck I’m as poor as the next person when it comes to liquidities, but my fridge is full, I have a roof over my head and a loving spouse, a healthy son and a few friends, in my book I would say I’m pretty well-off!

However, how much it would cost me to buy a sandwich to someone who is hungry and if I do not have the means to do it, would it take so much away from my home to make the damn sandwich from scratch and put together a little lunch bag. Nope it is not that hard and you do not even notice the missing food from the fridge and pantry! I know because I have done it many times when I lived in the city.
No one, or rather very few, people knew of me doing small acts like this. I did not advertise and I did not do it for seeking compliments, I just did it because it was the right thing to do! Now looking back, I wonder if maybe I, as well as others who did like me, should have come out. I wonder if more people were aware of simple acts of kindness before social media, and how easy they are to do if it would have become infectious, common behaviour even. However, I did not speak of it.

Coming back to why I am running my mouth (or rather my fingers on the keyboard) I read the story of that NY mayor a dozen times and every time my eyes full of water I ask what has happened to us to have become so numb in the face of need? When has a simple act of kindness elevated to the rank of greatness? I mean a simple act of kindness is only demonstrating our humanity, something we can ALL do at various level. Is it not supposed to be a natural behaviour? Nope, not anymore obviously, it has become so unnatural that whenever a person does something kind for another being, we elevate them on pedestals. We should rather learn from their act and give back to humanity through small random deeds compatible with our means and abilities… It really does not take much. Sometimes a phone call to a friend that feels under the weather, a scarf on a chilly winter evening to a cold person we come across, sharing an umbrella when you are at a bus stop… little simple things, which restores our faith in to humanity.

By me: Johanne Marie

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Do you know what the difference between sympathy and compassion is? Times have been bad, if you’ve been reading the morning papers. It seems hard to stay consistent at being a good person, if you still care about that sort of thing.

We have a story for you, about a famous mayor of years past. The mayor of New York, in fact. Fiorella Laguardia was mayor of the city for the entirety of WWII, and during the Great Depression before that.

Laguardia was nicknamed the Little Flower for being a diminutive man, but what he lacked there, he made up for in heart. Read on to find out what Laguardia did, and learn the difference between sympathy and compassion.
 

I heard a story about Fiorello LaGuardia who was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII. He was adored by many New Yorkers who took to calling him the “Little Flower,” because of his name and the fact that he was so short and always wore a carnation in his lapel.

He was a colorful character — he rode the New York City fire trucks, orphanages to baseball games and, when the New York newspapers went on strike, he got on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.

But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. “It’s a real bad neighborhood, Your Honor,” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.”

LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions. Ten dollars or ten days in jail.” But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous hat, saying, “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore, I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.”

The following day, New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered woman who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. The grocery store owner himself contributed Fifty cents of that amount, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Someone beautifully said, "Sympathy sees and says, 'I'm sorry.'

Compassion sees and says, 'I'll help.'

When we learn the difference, we can make a difference."

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