The Latin roots of the word, compassion, mean “to suffer with” -- to alleviate pain or burdens by uniting ourselves with those who are suffering and to help carry the load. The power of the word has been eviscerated in our modern understanding; the undercurrent, rather than pushing us towards union and intimacy, instead subtly encourages us to detach and atomize. Do we gravitate towards the popular understanding of compassion sheerly out of deference for another’s autonomy, or is their a hint of something that seeks to protect our own comfort and convenience?
We can do hard things. We can be there for those who are suffering, for those who are alone, for those who are dying.