Revisiting compassion

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, pushes us to detach and atomize. Do we do this sheerly out of deference for another’s autonomy, or is their a hint of something that seeks to protect our own comfort and convenience?