Compassion is both a misunderstood, and misused word in today’s society. While most say that compassion is doing something about another’s pain, we seldom think that it is our suffering that creates in us a feeling of compassion for others. As we contemplate the true meaning of compassion, let us delve into our thoughts and decide whether we are willing to show compassion to others through our suffering.

There are two completely different Greek roots for compassion. The first is the word splagchnon. This means a yearning of our inward emotions, with a tender love and affection. It is used to describe the love that parents have for their children.

The second root is the word eleco. This describes the benevolent giving of humanitarian aid. A good illustration is when a person sees a homeless man on the streets and gives him a few dollars.

An example of a person that showed compassion in both senses is Mother Teresa. She loved the poor of Calcutta unconditionally, while also giving all her resources to those in need. She did not live comfortably, instead choosing to live in the slums where she did whatever she could to serve others.

Mother Teresa said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” While most of us cannot serve in the slums of a country on the other side of the world, we can do small things everyday to show compassion. A smile to a coworker who is having a bad day, saying thank you to that nice young man who loaded your groceries for you, or even having a cheerful face when your boss asks you to do something that is particularly distasteful.

I find that suffering so that I might understand another’s pain, is something foreign. As I continue to learn about turning my suffering into a channel for compassion, I find that it leads to a love for another human being that is astounding. Though I am still young, I am trying to follow Mother Teresa’s statement, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

I feel that we must “live like there is no tomorrow,” looking to find ways of showing compassion to others. When we show compassion, in both forms, we are making the people around us happier, and I find that I am happier also. So, as Mother Teresa said, “Let us begin.”

Marissa Haley

Marysville