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| Courtesy of Dave Allen Photography
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"Tuning in to the needs and feelings of another person is a prerequisite to empathy which in turn can lead to understanding, concern and, if the circumstances are right, compassionate action," according to Daniel Goleman, an author, psychologist and science journalist.
I read this quote recently in a story about empathy in The New York Times and it caught my attention.
Compassionate action.
It reminds me of the Jesuit concept of social justice, which is acting on something you may see or feel that is happening to another person and then getting involved to try to change it for the better.
To me, compassionate action means not only putting yourself into another person's feelings but feeling it to the point that you want to help someone who is sick, hungry, in trouble, or suffering a loss of some sort.
It's something to think about.
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