One of the most moving acts of compassion in the Bible and all of literature is the decision of the Pharaoh's daughter to adopt the baby Moses. This action of hers transcends cultural and class barriers, ultimately leading to the founding of the Hebrew nation. Compassion is a virtue that takes seriously the reality of other persons, their inner lives, emotions as well as their external circumstances. According to Rousseau, compassion is a natural feeling, which by moderating the violence of love of self in each individual, contributes to the preservation of the whole species. It is this compassion that hurries us without reflection to the relief of those who are in distress.
Compassion is the maturing of kindness.
The dictionary defines it as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune accompanied by a desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause. To feel another's anguish is the essence of compassion. Hans Christian Andersen's sentimental story, The Little Match Girl, brings tears to the eyes of the reader because it stirs up compassionate emotions. The story goes like this. On New Year's Eve, there is this beautiful girl who is trying to earn a few pennies by selling matches.