A family low in compassion tends to be high in dominance, abuse, or neglect. A community low in compassion is high in alcohol and drug abuse, crime, and violence. Violence is a failure of compassion. Compassion provides children with a sense of inherent importance, value, worth, and equality a kind of Core Value that prevents recurring states of shame and powerlessness. States of powerlessness stimulate anger, hostility, and an urge for revenge.
Humans are hard-wired to discover the self by caring about others.
Accurate self-knowledge, a prerequisite of genuine power, is possible only with clear focus on our enormous capacity for healing, nurturing, growth, creativity, building, and compassion. Compassion is power. The tone of community response to violence must firmly ally with the compassionate part of the offender s core self, which does not want to be violent. Bonds formed for something, e.g., compassion and safety in the community, draw energy from an underlying mobilization of passion, conviction, and dedication to a higher good. The Empowered Community is not against anyone.