If compassion is an opposite of compersion, feeling with someone's suffering in contrast to feeling with their joy, then it may be that compersion has an opposite in feelings and behaviors that masquerade as compassion, such as pity. Unlike schadenfreude pity does align itself with hoping for an end of suffering, but like schadenfreude pity does not join in the suffering and retains a distance from the pain and difficulty. This distance from actually feeling with also stands in contrast to the feeling with of compersion. How has pity played a role in your relationships, in your personal growth, or with your practice with compersion?
[image description: On the left a littler heart kneels crying over something that appears broken on the ground and another larger heart towers over the kneeling heart, pats him on the head, and says, "Aw. No need to cry. I can easily buy another for you." On the right a littler heart sits on the ground, reclining slightly with a happy expression of pride at a structure in front of it and another larger heart approaches, smiling, and says, "You built this? How lovely!" Text reads: "compersion" and below that, "The opposite of pity."]
#MindfulHearts
RETROSPECTIVE
~ 4/15 ~
on this day
2021
2020
2019
2018
~ celebrating four years of daily cartoons ~
RETROSPECTIVE
~ 4/15 ~
on this day
2021
2020
2019
2018
~ celebrating four years of daily cartoons ~
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