Compassion... what's the point?
I tend to think of compassion as trying to be in someone else's shoes; to listen to what they have to say, and to be aware of what they're feeling...rather than literally helping them. Trying to help someone isn't always necessarily being compassionate because what you may think is helpful may be perceived as harmful by the person you are trying to help. Instead, I view compassion as something that is truly benevolent and not naive. It doesn't aim to bring about equilibrium,or even happiness, in people or the world. It is simply a way of sitting next to someone throughout their hardships and to offer some camaraderie.

By being compassionate, you will inevitably suffer as you take on the pain of those around you, but at the same time compassion can heal people. It unites them, and it forges trust and deep respect between them. Sometimes there are no words to describe the effects of compassion. I believe there should be no real end to compassion and no such thing as a final success. You can't fix everyone's problems and it's not your role to save others from despair, because the only person who can do that is themselves - how could someone live by the words of another when they can't even live with themselves?

Don't give up on compassion because the world is cynical. In fact, the world needs compassion because it is so cynical. Just because people don't turn out the way we want them to, even if it is in their own best interests, it doesn't mean we should stop feeling for them. Yes, the world can suck, and the bitter truth is it will never be perfect, but compassion is beyond that; it acknowledges the bond between all people, all life, and all  matter in the universe. When you choose to care it's not about trying to be some kind of superhero, it's about caring, which is compassion's one and only eternal goal.
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