Specialize Your Compassion

Not so long ago I had a conversation with my partner, discussing the interesting nature of our compassion.

Why is it that we are blissfully accepting (for the most part; or at least relatively) of the innumerable tragedies happening worldwide, but excruciatingly affected by these same matters when they occur to us?

Think about it—in the modern age of the internet and social media, it is almost harder to be unaware of what is going on around the world. And if that’s the case, why do we still care so little?

On the surface, the answer appears to be simple: the plagues of misfortune are only relevant to us when they begin spreading in our garden.

But is this always the case?

Should we be more compassionate toward everything happening in the world regardless of our experience? The answers to these questions are not that straightforward.

A Simple Example

In the same previously mentioned conversation, my partner proposed the following question:

“What would happen to a child raised with a farm pig in the same manner some children are raised with dogs?” 

Although a thought experiment commonly used in favour of veganism, we analysed it further in order to fully grasp the underlying significance behind the not-so-difficultly drawn conclusions; it is quite logical that the child would grow attached to this pig and will therefore develop confusing notions regarding the morality in its companion being next year’s bacon.

But more importantly, such a scenario might cause the child to further challenge the paradigms revolving around the consumption of pig meat—or meat as a whole, for that matter. And once challenged, if the foundations upon which these paradigms are built are not satisfactory in the eyes of the compassionate child, they will join or even create a cause to go against said paradigms.

However, the true brilliance in the thought experiment stems from the fact that it is not an impossibility that the child may logically assume it is less morally ambiguous to slaughter dogs than to slaughter pigs; but what determines the respective validity of the contrasting ideas—or lack thereof?

The Weight of Events

The only plausible explanation for the aforementioned question is crystal clear: events have no inherent nature.

This is no surprise. And although there are certain things which are mostly agreed upon across cultures and societies—such as the immorality of murder or theft (shown by the formalization of these rules as laws)—some debates are still to be had. As you zoom in, you can appreciate that these differences aren’t only at the sociocultural level, but also at the individual level. (One can make the argument that it is the individual differences that give rise to societies themselves; this is only partly true, as social pressure and social support do play a role in the indoctrination of someone into a society.)

These disparities in the weight and nature assigned to certain events, caused by a person’s unique experiences and qualia, may be responsible for the strong beliefs which then translate into purpose itself.

In simple terms, a man who has witnessed deep injustice throughout his life is often driven to work tirelessly to prevent others from experiencing the same pain.

In contrast, someone who hasn’t faced such hardship may lack the same level of compassion or urgency, and therefore might not commit themselves as fully to that cause.

It is here that we encounter our moral dilemma: only the child raised with the pig will fully comprehend the significance of taking that animal’s life. The child’s cause will not be fully understood or empathized with by people who haven’t gone through what he’s experienced. The child’s cause is valid. Conscious animals are being slaughtered. Our understanding of the situation doesn’t change that.

There is an almost infinite amount of possible causes we may not fully understand but which are very real and important, regardless of their proximity to our own set of experiences and beliefs.

It is brutally overwhelming. The sheer scale of human suffering makes it psychologically daunting to even begin to empathize with every tragedy. And even if we could feel it all, it would be physically impossible to respond to everything.

So what can we do?

You specialize your compassion.

Compassion As A Finite Source

Having established that we cannot attend to every single ounce of misery that occurs in the world, we can now look for solutions. This blog proposes the “specialization of your compassion.” The dedication to one singular cause that truly brings on change in the world.

Think of the countless figures in history who became experts and pioneers—Malala Yousafzai in education, Martin Luther King Jr. in racial equality, Viktor Frankl in meaning and suffering. None of them tried to solve every problem. They found the one issue that pierced through their hearts the most and chose to go deep instead of wide.

It is not that they did not care about other matters; it is that they understood that true transformation comes from focused effort. Without such devotion, we wouldn’t have progression. We’d only have a sea of concerned, overwhelmed individuals whose scattered efforts to try to make a difference would produce little impact.

This is no excuse for indifference, but a call for intentional action.

The devotion of your life to a cause is not to ignore the pain of others; it is to hope that alleviating one form of pain can ripple outward into many.

Find Your Cause

So how do you find your cause?

More often than not, it finds you. It reveals itself in the wounds you carry, in the things that make you unreasonably furious or incomparably sorrowful.

Maybe you were bullied as a child, and now you speak out against injustice. Maybe you lost someone to addiction, and now you dedicate your life to helping others recover.

Or maybe, like the child who grew up with the pig, you simply witnessed something that your heart could not ignore.

Start there. Start with what moves you, because the world doesn’t need everyone to care about everything; it needs each of us to care deeply about something.

Something that pushes us to be greater.