Compassion = Total-Person Empathy
The first (but not exclusive) dictionary meaning of compassion in the West is pity. I use Compassion to mean Total-Person Empathy, a far more accurate interpretation.
— In Eastern traditions, Compassion similarly aligns with Total-Person Empathy. I capitalize Compassion consistently to emphasize the inherent worth of the whole person. See also Compassion, Basically.
Total person
Encompassing body, mind, and ‘soul’ — the latter being the deeper mind. This ‘deeper mind’ is the vast network of mental-neuronal patterns, many of which remain beneath conscious awareness. This aligns with an expanding body of scientific evidence. Ignoring it is like denying the earth’s roundness or the universe’s vastness. Ignoring this reality never made sense and certainly doesn’t now.
The analogy of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)
In ANNs, too, we find networks in the ‘hidden layers.’ Though imperfect, this analogy offers insight into what resides beneath the surface (hidden layers) and their necessity for meaningful action. An ANN without hidden layers is useless. Without a deeper mind, a person would be like a zombie—a concept that doesn’t truly exist.
Ignoring ANNs’ deeper layers – of which, at present, there are frequently many in one ANN system – would regress us to the outdated era of purely conceptual A.I., risking another A.I. winter that could shake humanity to its core.
Mind-body connection
It’s nonsensical to believe we can consciously produce a placebo effect. Just try it. It doesn’t work, including in open placebo. Yet, the placebo effect is consistently proven in research and observable in brain fMRI scans.
Something must do it, and it is not purely conscious wishful thinking.
Ignoring the deeper mind renders vast scientific discoveries meaningless, a reality we can’t afford to overlook.
This is what’s inside Compassion to me.
It transcends pity.
It’s much more profound than mere friendliness.
It goes beyond empathy and sympathy.
It is far more than a simple emotional reaction.
It is fundamentally different from altruism.
It’s an integrated approach to understanding and connecting with ourselves and others on the deepest levels.
It is something that puts humanity in its rightful place.
It is a guiding force that keeps humanity grounded.
We need Compassion to remain truly human, particularly in a rapidly advancing technological world where super-A.I. will soon surpass our wildest imaginations.
We must discover who we are.
Related Posts
23. Empathy in 1, 2, 3 – Part 2: ‘Openness’
Most important in empathy: Do not stand in the way of it. Openness to meaningful patterns By this I mean YOUR openness. It may feel like intuition or a deep sensation. You may have already heard of ‘non-conceptual communication’: in addition to everything a patient tells you at a verbal conceptual level, he/she always sends Read the full article…
The Joy of Compassion
Compassion is often framed exclusively as a way to relieve suffering, a response to hardship, or a moral obligation. But there’s another side to it, one that is just as important — perhaps even more so. Compassion can be joyful. It can be an experience that expands and uplifts, not just a duty to help Read the full article…
About Tolerance
One cannot be tolerant to something one doesn’t know. So first comes Listening. Otherwise ‘tolerance’ can be quite in-tolerant. “You must be tolerant.” is of course a paradox. Is tolerance then selective? It appears to be so. You could even define tolerance as being intolerant to intolerance. There is – at first sight – no Read the full article…