Is Compassion Overrated?

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I'm just asking because I've been getting the feeling that whenever I or someone else in my life performs acts of compassion, scrutiny is upon them to determine if the compassion is genuine or not. I've come to disagree with this approach. ANY act of compassion, whether it was for some ulterior motive or not should be appreciated at its moment. I've come to see a person's compassion for another as one of the most beautiful things in life. Others seem not to agree with me and oftentimes their scrutiny destroys the fluffy feeling of compassion from the inside out. What do you think? Have you ever paused and thought that a compassionate act is beautiful no matter what? or do you think that compassion is getting increasingly overrated?

Absolutely not. Compassion is not overrated, if anything, it is underrated. Apathy is far too prominent in the world for things like caring and kindness to be anything but treasured.

 

[Narz]

If anything, compassion is underrated.

What he said.

 

[Japanrocks12]

what I meant by "overrated" is that acts of compassion (from my observation and some others) are often scrutinized in place of being admired for being acts of compassion. So I'm left with a feeling that people think, "oh no, not another act of compassion. what does he/she want this time."

 

[Merkinball]

If compassion means charity, it's overrated. If compassion means caring about other people, it's underrated. - dh epic

So let me get this straight. Thinking about helping is underrated. Actually going out and helping people, is over rated.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

So let me get this straight. Thinking about helping is underrated. Actually going out and helping people, is over rated.

i think what he's saying is that doing charity is overrated because a lot of people who do it do so to make themselves look good and they don't actually care. at least that's how i read it.

 

[dh_epic]

Handouts are overrated, and lots of charities do just that. That's my point. What's underrated is caring about something other than your own short term interest -- not in a "let me do something nice for this guy" but a long term way of helping someone get out of their bad situation... or at least allows their kids to do better. I would rather have egalitarian funding for schools than have every person in America be more generous to homeless people.

 

[Merkinball]

Handouts are overrated, and lots of charities do just that. - dh epic

But you support social welfare and social security?

I would rather have egalitarian funding for schools than have every person in America be more generous to homeless people. - dh_epic

If you think that private philanthropy ends with giving homeless people handouts then you are sorely mistaken.

i think what he's saying is that doing charity is overrated because a lot of people who do it do so to make themselves look good and they don't actually care. at least that's how i read it. - Mr Dictator

What percentage of the people would you say?

 

[LordRahl]

Compassion is fine, as long as its not made mandatory by government (for example welfare). How is the state forcing its citizens to be compassionate (different from a robber holding you at a gunpoint? The only difference is the beneficiary.

 

[Perfection]

How is the state forcing its citizens to be compassionate (different from a robber holding you at a gunpoint?

Robbers don't look out for the best interests of the people they take money from, don't provide you with valuable services, aren't controlled by the collective action of people who take money from, don't have a social contract with its citizens, and etc. etc. etc.

 

[LordRahl]

Robbers don't look out for the best interests of the people they take money from, don't provide you with valuable services, aren't controlled by the collective action of people who take money from, don't have a social contract with its citizens, and etc. etc. etc.

And yet both entities resort to force, the difference being that the government is a little more civilized about it.

The government is not looking for the best interest when it takes my money away. I, and only I know what's in my own best interest.

 

[Perfection]

And yet both entities resort to force,

That doesn't make them morally equivalent.

the difference being that the government is a little more civilized about it.

And all the other stuff I mentioned too...

The government is not looking for the best interest when it takes my money away.

Well it should be, there's always corruption and stuff, of course. But IMHO by-and-large it does!

I, and only I know what's in my own best interest.

Well you must be a friggin' ubergenius because all us lame-brained normal people have to consult with a whole bunch of experts to tell us what is in our best interest.

And you neglect all the other tiny little problems that the government helps solve like free-rider problems and externality reduction.

 

[Hygro]

what I meant by "overrated" is that acts of compassion (from my observation and some others) are often scrutinized in place of being admired for being acts of compassion. So I'm left with a feeling that people think, "oh no, not another act of compassion. what does he/she want this time."

I see what you mean.

The solution is wait and finish high school. The surroundings become more rational to the logical mind.

 

[drachasor]

The government is not looking for the best interest when it takes my money away. I, and only I know what's in my own best interest.

It is looking out for the best interest of SOCIETY. It isn't all about you and it shouldn't be looking out just for your own best interest. Additionally, though immaterial to the matter at hand, it isn't true that you and only you knows what is in your own best interest.

-Drachasor

 

[JohnRM]

I'm just asking because I've been getting the feeling that whenever I or someone else in my life performs acts of compassion, scrutiny is upon them to determine if the compassion is genuine or not. I've come to disagree with this approach. ANY act of compassion, whether it was for some ulterior motive or not should be appreciated at its moment. I've come to see a person's compassion for another as one of the most beautiful things in life. Others seem not to agree with me and oftentimes their scrutiny destroys the fluffy feeling of compassion from the inside out. What do you think? Have you ever paused and thought that a compassionate act is beautiful no matter what? or do you think that compassion is getting increasingly overrated?

I am one to believe that intent is more important than results. I see most acts of "compassion" by others being acts of self-righteousness, knowing that others are watching. It ceases to be compassion in that case and is simply serving one's own interests. If that interest is just to look good in front of others, then that is enough, but it sure as hell isn't compassion.

 

[drachasor]

I am one to believe that intent is more important than results. I see most acts of "compassion" by others being acts of self-righteousness, knowing that others are watching. It ceases to be compassion in that case and is simply serving one's own interests. If that interest is just to look good in front of others, then that is enough, but it sure as hell isn't compassion.

Good intent is nice, and useful for predicting future behavior, but in terms of a singular action, the results matter most.

 

[dh_epic]

Yeah, I think results are probably more important than intentions. Intentions are easy to lie about, and are usually mixed anyway. I'd rather ride mixed intentions to justice than ride good intentions to hell.