A man fell. No one cared. People passed by without a look, not even a slight pause. Until… one man stopped. He noticed. He helped. He listened. He offered some water. He ensured there was no serious injury. He helped make better out of bad.

Compassion. Seeing the suffering of others and desiring to help. It’s not empathy. Empathy is feeling the pain of another. That’s not required for compassion. Helpful. But not required. The key to compassion is awareness and action. 

There’s power in compassion. 

Studies have shown that brief messages of compassion from doctors (“I am here with you and will be by your side throughout your treatment”) significantly reduces patient anxiety which aids in recovery from illness. Additionally, longer term compassionate care has been shown to lower blood pressure, promote faster healing, improve immune response, and sustain good mental health.

In an experiment of employing simple compassionate acts, a Kansas City Police SWAT team was able to improve community relations and lower crime rates. 

A Stanford study of compassionate workplace cultures showed reduced burnout and increased productivity of up to 12%. 

There’s definite power in compassion. 

But many will roll eyes thinking this is unicorns and rainbows talk. They will huff that this is too touchy-feely. They will push it aside saying it’s someone else’s responsibility like religious institutions or charities. But it’s all of our responsibility. And… according to science, it’s actually vital to our human evolutionary success. 

So, with all the benefits compassion provides and it’s importance to us as a species, why not give it a chance? All it takes is opening your eyes to see others. All it takes is a moment to share a kind word or do some small act to take away a burden. 

Awareness. Kindness. Generosity. That’s compassion. That’s our/your real power.

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