marichiko

I suppose I'd use the word "compassion" over pity. I try to understand how people might act as they do because in some way they suffer - be it from some emotion like anger or fear or greed or hate, etc. These are all unpleasant emotions and cause the person who experiences them to suffer. I certainly have compassion for victims of random fate as well. Many people seem to think that having compassion for someone means giving them some sort of "get out of jail free card." Far from it. We are still responsible for our actions despite whatever suffering we may have endured. Many people lead tragic lives, yet don't turn into murderers or terrorists, for example. Its all up to each of us and how we view the world and how we come to terms with what happens to us. We are ALL human, and its important to remember this. Awful actions are committed by human beings - not devils. I think it important that we cognize this, in order to help us see how its possible to turn into "devils" ourselves and avoid that path.