Compasion.

[FireGod]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

 

[random3434]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

Why would anyone think compassion was a weakness? Not to show/have it is a sign of being dead inside imo.

 

[Big Black Dog]

The motor in my wife's car was running a bit oddly so I took it in to the shop. They did a compassion check on it and said it was running just fine. Appears her car didn't have bad compassion after all. Maybe you should get one of those compassion checks.

 

[xsited1]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

That's a huge topic! Compassion can be a sign of weakness when people elect politicians who use the Government as an agency of compassion.

 

[manifold]

In general I wouldn't call it a weakness. But I think people can take it too far, and if they make a habit of doing so then that would be a form of weakness.

 

[goldcatt]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

 

[FireGod]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

Why would anyone think compassion was a weakness? Not to show/have it is a sign of being dead inside imo.

There was a recent news story and discussion here about this, I can try to dig up the thread in a bit for your reference.

 

[FireGod]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

That's a huge topic! Compassion can be a sign of weakness when people elect politicians who use the Government as an agency of compassion.

Please feel free to expand on the thought, if you want.

 

[xsited1]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

Your time doesn't cost you anything?

 

[Liability]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

"Showing" compassion is great when YOU are the one doing it on your own time and on your own dime. I think that's the debate.

For the federal gubmint to "show" compassion, though, is to use the resources entrusted to them for specific purposes in a fashion NOT specifically authorized.

Now, even though I think that's a less lofty form of "compassion" (I could be REAL generous to any number of charities , for instance, if I had access to YOUR bank account), there are times I think it IS appropriate for the Federal Government to show "compassion" to the suffering folks on planet Earth. Recent example: The people of Haiti. It may not be the proper job of the federal government to give away maybe a billion or more dollars to a foreign land suffering from a natural disaster, but I endorse it all the same.

There are also other kinds of compassion. A drug abuser (addict) might commit some drug-related crime and face a long prison term. But, the law sometimes authorizes a judge to show a bit of compassion, instead, and "sentence" the addict/criminal to a period of REHAB in a drug treatment center, instead. That's a fair form of compassion, too.

 

[goldcatt]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

Your time doesn't cost you anything?

On one hand, of course my time is valuable. On the other hand, it's my time to use as I see fit and for the purpose I think is best. If I think spending a few minutes showing compassion for a person in need is a valuable enough use of my time as to consider it no harm to me, who is anyone else to say it's not?

 

[goldcatt]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

"Showing" compassion is great when YOU are the one doing it on your own time and on your own dime. I think that's the debate.

For the federal gubmint to "show" compassion, though, is to use the resources entrusted to them for specirfic purposes in a fashion NOT specifically authorized.

Now, even though I think that's a less lofty form of "compassion" (I could be REAL generous to any number of charities , for instance, if I had access to YOUR bank account), there are times I think it IS appropriate for the Federal Government to show "compassion" to the suffering folks on planet Earth. Recent example: The people of Haiti. It may not be the proper job of the federal government to give away maybe a billion or more dollars to a foreign land suffering from a natural disaster, but I endorse it all the same.

There are also other kinds of compassion. A drug abuser (addict) might commit some drug-related crime and face a long prison term. But, the law sometimes authorizes a judge to show a bit of compassion, instead, and "sentence" the addict/criminal to a period of REHAB in a drug treatment center, instead. That's a fair form of compassion, too.

Forgive me for pointing this out, but the OP addressed what we think and would do personally, not what political policies we do or would support. For a lot of us that's a whole separate issue.

 

[xsited1]

Where is the line drawn for you to show compassion and/or how far will you go personally?

Is it a sign of weakness to have compassion?

That's a huge topic! Compassion can be a sign of weakness when people elect politicians who use the Government as an agency of compassion.

Please feel free to expand on the thought, if you want.

Two words: government coercion. Implementing compassion by force is no compassion at all. There is a time and place for the government to provide for the general welfare, but most of the entitlement programs on the books are counter productive and devoid of compassion.

 

[LuckyDan]

When you need human kindness, there is no substitute. It's like water.

 

[Avatar4321]

Compassion is just a feeling. So unless you actually do something based on that feeling, i dont really see the issue.

 

[xsited1]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

Your time doesn't cost you anything?

On one hand, of course my time is valuable. On the other hand, it's my time to use as I see fit and for the purpose I think is best. If I think spending a few minutes showing compassion for a person in need is a valuable enough use of my time as to consider it no harm to me, who is anyone else to say it's not?

Of course I have no problem with that. Unfortunately, some people go too far personally to help someone in need and end up harming themselves or their families. This is probably what the OP had in mind.

 

[FireGod]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

"Showing" compassion is great when YOU are the one doing it on your own time and on your own dime. I think that's the debate.

For the federal gubmint to "show" compassion, though, is to use the resources entrusted to them for specirfic purposes in a fashion NOT specifically authorized.

Now, even though I think that's a less lofty form of "compassion" (I could be REAL generous to any number of charities , for instance, if I had access to YOUR bank account), there are times I think it IS appropriate for the Federal Government to show "compassion" to the suffering folks on planet Earth. Recent example: The people of Haiti. It may not be the proper job of the federal government to give away maybe a billion or more dollars to a foreign land suffering from a natural disaster, but I endorse it all the same.

There are also other kinds of compassion. A drug abuser (addict) might commit some drug-related crime and face a long prison term. But, the law sometimes authorizes a judge to show a bit of compassion, instead, and "sentence" the addict/criminal to a period of REHAB in a drug treatment center, instead. That's a fair form of compassion, too.

Forgive me for pointing this out, but the OP addressed what we think and would do personally, not what political policies we do or would support. For a lot of us that's a whole separate issue.

I opened the door for xsited1 which opened the door for the others.

 

[Liability]

Compassion a weakness? If anything, the opposite is true. Only those who are already weak are insecure enough to think showing compassion for others weakens them.

I will go as far as I can without jeopardizing my ability to care for my own, I also will not enable destructive behavior. But most of the time compassion doesn't mean giving materially, just a little of your time and attention. That doesn't cost me anything, so why not?

"Showing" compassion is great when YOU are the one doing it on your own time and on your own dime. I think that's the debate.

For the federal gubmint to "show" compassion, though, is to use the resources entrusted to them for specirfic purposes in a fashion NOT specifically authorized.

Now, even though I think that's a less lofty form of "compassion" (I could be REAL generous to any number of charities , for instance, if I had access to YOUR bank account), there are times I think it IS appropriate for the Federal Government to show "compassion" to the suffering folks on planet Earth. Recent example: The people of Haiti. It may not be the proper job of the federal government to give away maybe a billion or more dollars to a foreign land suffering from a natural disaster, but I endorse it all the same.

There are also other kinds of compassion. A drug abuser (addict) might commit some drug-related crime and face a long prison term. But, the law sometimes authorizes a judge to show a bit of compassion, instead, and "sentence" the addict/criminal to a period of REHAB in a drug treatment center, instead. That's a fair form of compassion, too.

Forgive me for pointing this out, but the OP addressed what we think and would do personally, not what political policies we do or would support. For a lot of us that's a whole separate issue.

You are forgiven. Wrong, but forgiven. Contrary to your assertion the OP did not limit the discussion to "personally." (It might be that the question was designed to limit the discussion to "personally," but that's not what it literally asks.)

It asked where you (we) would draw the line?

ONE such line -- for me -- involves whether it is proper to have the government demonstrate compassion in my name -- and if so -- to what extent.

 

[FireGod]

There is a time and place for the government to provide for the general welfare, but most of the entitlement programs on the books are counter productive and devoid of compassion.

Ok how so?

 

[FireGod]

Compassion is just a feeling. So unless you actually do something based on that feeling, i dont really see the issue.

Is it not also defined as an act?