{"id":831,"date":"2014-10-25T07:57:49","date_gmt":"2014-10-25T07:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/?page_id=831"},"modified":"2017-11-30T00:55:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T00:55:44","slug":"meaning-compassion-etymology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/meaning-compassion-etymology\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Compassion?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Thesis<\/h4>\n<p><em>Compassion\u00a0 is the experience of inclusiveness and sharing, inquiry and\u00a0 sharing,\u00a0 humility and forgiveness, honesty and trust, generous reflection and kind humour. These qualities provide the requisites for each of us to enjoy the state of science, which in turn enables us to develop all manner of sustaining arts(skills) i.e. civics.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Physics of Compassion<\/h4>\n<p>The Conservation of Energy Principle reminds us that energy is constant even as it continuously transforms. It is neither created nor destroyed and all forms of energy are finite, including all sentient forms such as human beings.<\/p>\n<p>Information is physical. All forms are momentary balances in the universal flux of transformation and all are paradox, simultaneously being informed by all even as they inform all.<br \/>\nAll living forms, including human beings, are sentient\u00a0 in this information flow.\u00a0 Every cell consciously interacts with it, simultaneously attempting to interpret the flow and adapt its behaviour to it so as to sustain its unique balance of energy,\u00a0 enjoy harmony and perpetuate its species. These interactions can be manifest from chemical, electrical, thermal or other perspectives.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2222\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/paradox-psyche-150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"150\" \/>It is not possible to know the nature of the consciousness of all sentient beings. However we can understand the human psyche as a complex, dynamic system consisting of a vast sentience, a trace self-awareness and their active interface -the ego\u00a0 or \u201cI\u201d.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Pain and Misery of The Ego<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2288\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/180-pardox-pain-pleasure-ego.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"150\" \/> The nature of the ego is\u00a0 discussed in more detail <a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/the-human-ego\/\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 In brief, the ego is characterized by<br \/>\n(a) fragmentation and division<br \/>\n(b) ingenious denial of reality i.e. the continuous universal transformation and our role as stewards amidst the flux.<br \/>\nThe ego can impact and\u00a0 move our thought process in incredible and destructive ways.<br \/>\nIt can easily make us our own worst enemy and is a major source of pain and misery.\u00a0 Exclusive and acquisitive, it makes us arrogant, envious and greedy.<br \/>\nIt promotes maladaptive\u00a0 behaviour such that our actions are in painful discord with the forces that sustain us.<br \/>\nIt fills us with constant existential terror of our mortality and so diminishes our joy in living.\u00a0 Born of division, the ego tends to\u00a0 alienate us from the cosmos in painful ways.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Sustaining Power of Compassion\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2287\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/180-pardox-pain-pleasure-compassion.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"150\" \/>Compassion&#8217;s qualities of inclusiveness, sharing, truthfulness, humility, forgiveness and inquiry complement the psychopathy and psychosis of the ego. However the ego has no equal of compassion\u2019s quality of kind humour because it is<br \/>\nThe quality of kind humour involves a dispassionate state that enables us to observe, embrace and transcend the ego&#8217;s most incredible deceits.\u00a0 It also involves sensations\u00a0 of forgiveness, a vital requisite for sustainable learning to occur. It thus\u00a0 opens us to ways of living in greater harmony with the flows and balances that sustain humankind. In other words, compassion is the source of civics.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Science of Compassion<\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2297\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2297\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scientific_method\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2297 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/scientific-method.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/scientific-method.jpg 400w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/scientific-method-300x247.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2297\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Observe how science is defined as simply a way of thinking, which means it is vulnerable to being an ego-driven construct.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Science\"> Wiki<\/a><\/strong> provides this example of the modern definition of science:<br \/>\n<em>&#8220;As a slow process over centuries, the word &#8220;science&#8221; became increasingly associated with what is today known as the <a title=\"Scientific method\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scientific_method\">scientific method<\/a>, a structured way to study the natural world.&#8221;<\/em><sup id=\"cite_ref-Cahan_Natural_Philosophy_10-0\" class=\"reference\"><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>However we arrive at a profoundly different definition if we ask what are the requisites for &#8220;science&#8221;\u00a0 to be a sustaining symbol. Deeper reflection reveals science ceases to be if any of the following qualities are absent: inclusiveness and sharing, inquiry and\u00a0 sharing,\u00a0 humility and forgiveness, honesty and trust, generous reflection and inquiry plus kind humour.<br \/>\nFor instance, copyright and paywalls prevent sharing and peer-review.<br \/>\nFor instance, the thought process cannot transcend the trickery of the ego or paradox\u00a0 and this restricts inclusiveness and inquiry.<br \/>\nFor instance, without kind humour for the human condition, the ego can easily can have us make deceitful, even self-destructive use of knowledge.<br \/>\nIn other words, science is more than just a way of thinking and\u00a0 an exclusive body of knowledge, the domain of a small elite of &#8220;scientists&#8221;. Rather it is a profound moral way of being\u00a0 arising from the qualities of compassion that informs every moment of our lives.\u00a0 This state of being enables all manner of sustaining arts (skills) i..e. civics.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Physics of True Hope<\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We live a paradox of information:\u00a0 our use of a symbol simultaneously reflects and generates our state of being.<br \/>\nThe ego thrives in paradox\u00a0 and it\u00a0 generates a dense veneer of seeming chaos within this particular paradox of information.\u00a0 However\u00a0 the human psyche is actually very consistent, in accord with the constants of the principles of physics. These principles, in particular the Conservation of Energy Principle, provide both the means for evaluating\u00a0 the sustainability of our language and for rectifying our behaviour.<br \/>\nSee the <a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wise-english-guide\/\"><strong>WISE ENGLISH GUIDE<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/a>for practical examples of how we can employ the principles of physics to transcend this paradox of information and ensure our English is founded in true hope rather than delusive hope.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Compassion and the Anglosphere<\/h4>\n<p>A few corporations of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anglosphere\">the Anglosphere<\/a><\/strong> have controlled most global trades and English has been the dominant language of international commerce for over a century now.\u00a0 There is considerable evidence that the Anglosphere culture has probably been the prime driver of the Anthropocene that now imperils all human kind. For instance, analysis of modern English reveals a widespread syndrome of denial of the principles of physics consistent with\u00a0 ego-driven habits of extreme waste,\u00a0 pollution and the unprecedented destruction of vital minerals, soils and biodiversity.<br \/>\nThe diagram below illustrates the etymology of some of the English words primarily associated with compassion .<br \/>\nPrinciple source: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/\">Online Etymology Dictionary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2290 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/compassion-final.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1370\" height=\"976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/compassion-final.jpg 1370w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/compassion-final-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/compassion-final-768x547.jpg 768w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/compassion-final-1024x730.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Observe the common origins of these words of compassion &#8211; their inherent recognition of our common experience of pain and suffering. Also observe how this past four centuries our use of them ceases to remind us of the pain all sentient beings experience in the universal\u00a0 transformation and our roles as stewards in this flux of suffering.\u00a0 This facilitates, for instance, our activities causing mass extinctions of species.<\/p>\n<p>Some words have even become means of exacerbating suffering. They are\u00a0 now used to denigrate and express disgust for our fellow beings, as in &#8220;I pity you -you are so pathetic, deserving of ridicule&#8221; and &#8220;Oh, you are just so pious &#8211; pompous and virtuous, condescending&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The word &#8220;compassion&#8221; retains much of its original meaning though often it is conflated with a few of its many qualities and is associated with liability and weakness of character.\u00a0 However, in general, this most vital of symbols\u00a0 is relegated to obscurity in Anglosphere culture:<\/p>\n<p><strong>General society &#8211; <\/strong> it is very rare to hear mention of compassion in daily discourse.<br \/>\n<strong>Media &#8211;<\/strong> there is no mention of compassion in Commerce (Business, Market) discourse, little mention in Current Affairs and, in general it is relegated to obscure sections such as Religion or Spiritual Matters.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2303\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2303\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anglosphere\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2303 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/400-anglosphere-300x165.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/400-anglosphere-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/400-anglosphere.jpg 401w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2303\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blue=English = first language of majority Light blue = English = an official language.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Education- <\/strong>A search the National and State Education Curriculum Frameworks of Britain, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand (Blue nations) reveal no mention of &#8220;compassion&#8221;.\u00a0 The few mentions discovered are buried deep in subtext and &#8220;Science&#8217; is multilaterally framed in denial of compassion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Government- <\/strong>Internet searches of Anglosphere Governments reveal a wide range of Ministers and Ministries of Government, including Ministries of Energy. However there is not a single link to a Minister or Ministry of Compassion. For instance:<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0 https:\/\/www.govt.nz\/search?q=compassion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><input id=\"searchterm2\" class=\"form-control square-corners search-input\" autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"q\" type=\"text\" value=\"compassion\" \/> <label class=\"search-label entered\" for=\"searchterm2\"> Search for: compassion <\/label><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"search-form col-md-6 col-md-offset-1\">\n<form id=\"search-form2\">\n<h1 class=\"input search-bar\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0Search results for compassion<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"search-results col-md-6 col-md-offset-1\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sorry, nothing on Govt.nz matches your search.<br \/>\n&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\">Summary<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2315\" src=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Psychopathy-qualities-yin-yang-crop2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"712\" height=\"379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Psychopathy-qualities-yin-yang-crop2.jpg 712w, https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Psychopathy-qualities-yin-yang-crop2-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 712px) 100vw, 712px\" \/>All sentient beings experience some form of pain, It may be pain from internal processes of the organism, exterior forces (heat, gravity etc) or from the registration of\u00a0 pain in other beings.\u00a0 Each being has its unique learning response to pain and this may vary from\u00a0 sustaining to destructive.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\">Human beings are no exception\u00a0 Our response to the universal condition of suffering is confounded by the ego that resides in us all. It denies the reality of universal transformation with ingenious deceits and delusive hopes.\u00a0 However with compassion we can transcend its trickery and enjoy true hope.<\/p>\n<p data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\">Last revised 30\u00a0 Nov 2017<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\" data-ga-event=\"pageload\" data-ga-category=\"Search\" data-ga-action=\"No-result\" data-ga-label=\"compassion\"><a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wise-english-guide\/\">Wise English Guide<\/a><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/compassionate-ed-framework\/\"><strong>A Compassionate Education Framework<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/education-manifesto-2\/\"><strong>Education Manifesto<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/civics\/\"><strong>Civics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thesis Compassion\u00a0 is the experience of inclusiveness and sharing, inquiry and\u00a0 sharing,\u00a0 humility and forgiveness, honesty and trust, generous reflection and kind humour. These qualities provide the requisites for each of us to enjoy the state of science, which in turn enables us to develop all manner of sustaining arts(skills) i.e. civics. The Physics of &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/meaning-compassion-etymology\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;What is Compassion?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-831","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2320,"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/831\/revisions\/2320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truehope.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}