So I got in a little trouble with a co-worker today when she was going on about how our city wasn't doing enough to help the homeless. She claimed she was passionate about helping the homeless. I thought this was great because I too am passionate and regularly help the homeless in Detroit by bringing them gift bags of essentials and offering time in shelters.
However, as she went on she claimed she never even met a homeless person in downtown, goes out of her way to avoid them when she visits and never been to a shelter but read that there were only two and that wasn't enough. I applauded her concern for issue, but I perhaps mistakenly corrected her in that I didn't feel she was passionate about the homeless but was merely moralizing. She got upset with me, but I did my best to explain it to her.
The word compassion carries with it these dual senses about making an absolute moral judgement about something AND being prepared to do something about it. So you have compassion in the face of poverty when you make an absolute moral judgement, 'That is wrong! It shouldn't be like that,' and then you're moved from the depth of your being to do something about it. If you're not moved from the depth of your being to do something about it, you don't have compassion, you have moralizing.
She didn't like my explanation. Curious your thoughts here on it.
However, as she went on she claimed she never even met a homeless person in downtown, goes out of her way to avoid them when she visits and never been to a shelter but read that there were only two and that wasn't enough. I applauded her concern for issue, but I perhaps mistakenly corrected her in that I didn't feel she was passionate about the homeless but was merely moralizing. She got upset with me, but I did my best to explain it to her.
The word compassion carries with it these dual senses about making an absolute moral judgement about something AND being prepared to do something about it. So you have compassion in the face of poverty when you make an absolute moral judgement, 'That is wrong! It shouldn't be like that,' and then you're moved from the depth of your being to do something about it. If you're not moved from the depth of your being to do something about it, you don't have compassion, you have moralizing.
She didn't like my explanation. Curious your thoughts here on it.
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.
