Carry Forward the Compassion
by Ishita Pandey
Compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. This small, one sentence definition does a disservice to the true meaning of compassion. As I see it, compassion doesn’t require sadness or sorrow; it is merely the characteristic of being a companion in a circumstance of another person’s life. Compassion contains no pity because it does not judge people nor their situations; it shows humanity and empathy when given, but it also gets carried forward by the receiver and the giver.
Treat others the way you wish to be treated, is the Golden Rule, the heart of compassion. This service, as preached by the Dalai Lama and Buddha, develops compassion, which automatically puts our minds at ease and gives us strength. This quote also explains that once people start to look at others as parts of themselves, they will care for others’ sorrows and joys, needs and wants. This creates a closeness and even a sense of responsibility towards others, making us want to help them overcome their problems. That is the true essence of compassion.
Compassion empowers us to be kind, care for one another, and spread humanity, but its most amazing quality is the power to heal hearts of the receiver as well as the giver because it provides a common ground for two people to connect. Anyone on the receiving end of compassion immediately feels cared for and loved, but the person who is the giver also gets a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
An event we hosted in our school, called Free Market, gave me a true glimpse of how compassion can change our world. I took part in organizing and conducting this event, which donated household items from people in the community to the gardeners and janitors of the society. These workers were wide-eyed and astonished to see that the community cared for them and was giving them clothes, utensils, books, and countless other things. Their eyes were overflowing with love and joy. Their happiness filled me up with the satisfaction and contentment of helping people in need.
As I found out, this event had actually been performed beforehand by my friend’s uncle in Malaysia. Wanting to send forward the empathy in the act, my friend suggested the idea and organized it at our school. This year, I will conduct another event to carry forward the same compassion by giving the workers in our society caps and scarves for the winter. One occasion of empathy in Malaysia led to another service activity all the way to Saudi Arabia.
But, this compassionate event also showed me the innumerable needs of the world, which ultimately lead to anger as to why these people were in such dire conditions while so many others in the world lived such opulent and luxurious lives. If more people begin to understand the true necessities of the world, many obstacles can be conquered to make our world a better place.
Conducting the Free Market and gaining such a fruitful experience cultivated many ideas inside of me: compassion is present within everyone, even the smallest acts of kindness are of great value because they are the first steps to making a change in the world, and without compassion in a majority of people, peace, harmony and humanity can’t be achieved. Another realization I gained through this experience was that compassion is like a chain. This fire of empathy, love, and care doesn't stop when it’s given, instead, it creates a home in the heart of the receiver and giver, making them want to spread it to others. In this way, compassion gets carried forward linking everyone it reaches in a chain of brotherhood, love and humanity; it’s only a matter of starting this chain.
Ishita Pandey is a 9th grade student from India studying at Saudi Aramco Expatriate School and currently living in Udhailiyah, Saudi Arabia. Writing has secretly developed into a hobby for her, and she enjoys writing about all kinds of different topics. She is also passionate about playing guitar, dancing, and playing badminton. Her greatest dream is to travel the world with nothing but a guitar, a credit card, and her everlasting curiosity.
by Ishita Pandey
Compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. This small, one sentence definition does a disservice to the true meaning of compassion. As I see it, compassion doesn’t require sadness or sorrow; it is merely the characteristic of being a companion in a circumstance of another person’s life. Compassion contains no pity because it does not judge people nor their situations; it shows humanity and empathy when given, but it also gets carried forward by the receiver and the giver.
Treat others the way you wish to be treated, is the Golden Rule, the heart of compassion. This service, as preached by the Dalai Lama and Buddha, develops compassion, which automatically puts our minds at ease and gives us strength. This quote also explains that once people start to look at others as parts of themselves, they will care for others’ sorrows and joys, needs and wants. This creates a closeness and even a sense of responsibility towards others, making us want to help them overcome their problems. That is the true essence of compassion.
Compassion empowers us to be kind, care for one another, and spread humanity, but its most amazing quality is the power to heal hearts of the receiver as well as the giver because it provides a common ground for two people to connect. Anyone on the receiving end of compassion immediately feels cared for and loved, but the person who is the giver also gets a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
An event we hosted in our school, called Free Market, gave me a true glimpse of how compassion can change our world. I took part in organizing and conducting this event, which donated household items from people in the community to the gardeners and janitors of the society. These workers were wide-eyed and astonished to see that the community cared for them and was giving them clothes, utensils, books, and countless other things. Their eyes were overflowing with love and joy. Their happiness filled me up with the satisfaction and contentment of helping people in need.
As I found out, this event had actually been performed beforehand by my friend’s uncle in Malaysia. Wanting to send forward the empathy in the act, my friend suggested the idea and organized it at our school. This year, I will conduct another event to carry forward the same compassion by giving the workers in our society caps and scarves for the winter. One occasion of empathy in Malaysia led to another service activity all the way to Saudi Arabia.
But, this compassionate event also showed me the innumerable needs of the world, which ultimately lead to anger as to why these people were in such dire conditions while so many others in the world lived such opulent and luxurious lives. If more people begin to understand the true necessities of the world, many obstacles can be conquered to make our world a better place.
Conducting the Free Market and gaining such a fruitful experience cultivated many ideas inside of me: compassion is present within everyone, even the smallest acts of kindness are of great value because they are the first steps to making a change in the world, and without compassion in a majority of people, peace, harmony and humanity can’t be achieved. Another realization I gained through this experience was that compassion is like a chain. This fire of empathy, love, and care doesn't stop when it’s given, instead, it creates a home in the heart of the receiver and giver, making them want to spread it to others. In this way, compassion gets carried forward linking everyone it reaches in a chain of brotherhood, love and humanity; it’s only a matter of starting this chain.
Ishita Pandey is a 9th grade student from India studying at Saudi Aramco Expatriate School and currently living in Udhailiyah, Saudi Arabia. Writing has secretly developed into a hobby for her, and she enjoys writing about all kinds of different topics. She is also passionate about playing guitar, dancing, and playing badminton. Her greatest dream is to travel the world with nothing but a guitar, a credit card, and her everlasting curiosity.
