Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)When I’m aware of my needs and the needs of the people around me, it feels necessary for me to take action to meet those needs. This is the action of compassion, which arises directly from awareness of need, and which works to reduce unnecessary pain and suffering.
When I take compassionate action, I help to meet my own needs and the needs of others. Having one of my own needs met can be a source of joy, for it gives me both fulfillment and release from concern over that need. Helping to meet the needs of another person can be sometimes even more joyful, as it grants me a sense of purpose and value.
The joy I feel from taking compassionate action can be accompanied by the whole spectrum of emotional experience, including feelings of excitement, pleasure, frustration, sadness, and sometimes even pain. But joy is powerful and it supplies the fuel to continue acting from compassion regardless of the problems I face.
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