Anthony,
It appears that having 'compassion' or 'empathy' does not necessarily
include actually making sacrifices to assist humans who are in pain and
suffering.
So, having 'compassion' and 'empathy' may give one a nice feeling that
one cares, but may be of little value to the sufferers.
Religions may recommend 'altruism', but it could be mainly toward
fellow-believers, in which case it is more a consequence of (natural and
normal) group bonding than of non-discriminating caring for all humans.
--ED
* a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering * the
humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to
do something about it
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn%\
3Fs%3Dcompassion&sa=X&ei=UwBpTe3mO5D2swOqzdWmBA&ved=0CBIQpAMoAA&usg=AFQj\
CNE5BbYjYSnVy22UpOiusi_NWsTk2Q>
Compassion is a human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More
vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active
desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not
inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as
altruism. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion&sa=\
X&ei=UwBpTe3mO5D2swOqzdWmBA&ved=0CBMQpAMoAQ&usg=AFQjCNEHtzIc_mgvuadQis4-\
OkE1lcMZbQ>
Altruism (pronounced: ) is selfless concern for the welfare of others.
It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of
various religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Sikhism, and many others. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altruism
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altruism&sa=X&\
ei=gwFpTfWqHIe-sQPgucWmBA&ved=0CBEQpAMoAQ&usg=AFQjCNEPtk4Zpy43ylQ_HegJCP\
y-aNeFNg>
--- In [email protected], Anthony Wu <wuasg@...> wrote:
>
> Bill,
>
> I am pleased that you finally agree that compassion and empathy do
exist.
>
> Anthony
