Compassion: Do Human Beings Have Selective Compassion?

If one was to read a paper or to watch TV, there is the chance that certain things will draw them in. When it comes to a paper, they may look through the back pages before they look through the front pages, or they might not even look through the front.

Their primary interest will be what is happening in the sporting world, or this will be their only interest. On the other hand, if they were to watch TV, they might browse through a few channels or they could just watch the same channel all the time.

Two Parts

Once again, one can be interested in a number of different things, or they might only be interested in watching films or sports, for instance. What this shows is that there is what is available and what one is interested in.
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So if one is not interested in something, it won’t matter if it is available; their attention is going to be directed elsewhere. However, even if they were interested in everything, it still wouldn’t be possible for them to pay attention to it all.

Another Aspect

In the same way, there are going to be things that cause them concern and things that don’t. If one was to think about something that concerns them, it might relate to something that is taking place in their own country.

Alternatively, it could relate to something that is taking place on the other side of the planet. This could be something that they think about from time to time, or it could be something that consumes them.

A Number of Things

This could be their main interest and they might not be as interested in the other things that are taking place in the world. Or if they are, these things might not receive the same amount of attention.

At the same time, one could have a number of things that they are concerned about, and it might be hard for them to stay up to date with what is taking place around them. But regardless of what does concern them, it is not going to be possible for them to be cornered about everything.

Charity

One might give money to a charity that exists to help a cause that concerns them, and this might be something that takes place on a regular basis. They might only be able to support one charity, or there could be a few that they support.

Yet even if they do support a few charities, there can still be a number others that they would like to help. But due to the fact that they don’t have an unlimited supply of money, they are only going to be able do so much.

Familiar Faces

In the same way that one will be drawn to certain causes and overlook others, they are also going to be drawn to people in their day-to-day life. And this means that the people who they are drawn to are going to be the ones who receive their attention.

The closer one is to someone, the more attention they are likely to give them. If one is in a relationship, for instance, they may give this person far more attention than anyone else.

A Strong Connection

There is also a strong chance that one is more cornered about these people than they are about anyone else. One is going to have an emotional connection with them, so this is to be expected.

Therefore, if someone they know is going through a tough time, they are going to do what they can to help them. Yet, if they were to hear about someone who is going through a time, they might not feel the need to do anything.

Another Experience

Neverthless, if one was to find out about someone in the public eye who is going through a tough time, they could respond differently. Thus, even though one doesn’t know this person, they can act as though they do.

What this comes down to is that as they have seen this person so much on TV and on the internet, for instance, it will have caused them to feel connected to them. The relationship is going to be one-sided, but it can be as if this isn’t the case.

For Example

If one was to hear about someone in the public eye who has mental and emotional problems, they could talk about how cornered they are to their friends. And if this person uses social media, they could leave them a positive comment.

But if they were to find out about someone who has mental and emotional problems where they work, it might not have an effect on them. It can then be as if one has switched of their ability to be compassionate.

Selective Compassion

This doesn’t mean that this will have an effect on how one sees themselves though, as they could still see themselves as someone who is compassionate. If one was to judge their behaviour, they are likely to be nothing more than a hypocrite.

No matter how evolved someone is, there are bound to be moments when they don’t show compassion. Now, this is not to say that one can’t become more compassionate as time goes by; what it comes down to is that there are going to be moments when this part of them is out of action.

Awareness

If one was concerned about everything they were exposed to, they would probably end up feeling completely overwhelmed. It would clear how bad certain things are and there would be very little that they could do.

This would stop them from being able to function, and this is not going to make the world a better place. The only thing one can do is to play their part; after all, they are not here to save the world.