Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)When we act from compassion, we do what is needed to make our own lives and the lives of the people around us better. By meeting the needs of ourselves and others, we eliminate suffering and we create joy. We meet needs directly and also indirectly, by helping others towards the awareness they need to overcome their suffering.
It might then seem like compassion is concerned only with improving individual lives. But it is by creating change in individuals that compassion also creates collective change. For a person who is aware does not restrict their compassion to specific others. Genuine compassion is never limited only to our own family, friends, or neighbours. It is always action to meet needs and eliminate suffering for all living beings.
It is precisely when we are most free of our self-produced suffering that we are also most able to see that systemic changes are needed and necessary. We can then see how the suffering of individuals and their automatic reactions to that suffering combine to produce social and economic forces that perpetuate suffering for all of us.
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