#compassion

#compassion

Virtues such as compassion, patience, and self-control may be beneficial not only for others but also for oneself, according to new research my team and I published in the Journal of Personality in December 2025. Philosophers from Aristotle to al-Fārābī, a 10th-century scholar in what is now Iraq, have argued that virtue is vital for well-being. Yet others, such as Thomas Hobbes and Friedrich Nietzsche, have argued the opposite: Virtue offers no benefit to oneself and is good only for others.

Twice a month, I go to my eye doctor for injections that slow the loss of my vision. The waiting room is always filled with quiet tension-fearful eyes, deep breaths, people trying not to crumble. I sit and breathe, waiting for my name to be called. And every time, without fail, there is a woman-maybe in her late fifties or early sixties-who enters already furious. Before she even sits down, she's fighting with the receptionist.

that's the only way I'll ever get licked.

I didn't become vegan overnight. It started with asking one honest question: 'What's the most loving choice I can make, every day, for others and for myself?'

Most of us think of suffering as something to eliminate, avoid, or fix. But what if conflict, especially in our relationships, is actually an invitation? What if the moments that stress us most hold within them the potential for exercising our heart's capacity for compassion, connection, expansion, and intimacy? When we respond to our own or another's pain with care rather than judgment, something extraordinary happens.

Up from the south it came, out of thewest, at a diagonal,fifty miles in its full course,once it was done-and in its body length, eachtime it touched down, from a mile longto twenty miles. "All we could seewas a lot of gray and stuff." "It was likea train, but much louder." "All we saw was thiswhite wall of water, if you will."

She was living in a small college town at the time and taken to a nearby hospital, where staff attended to her and took away her shoes to prevent her from fleeing. They eventually left her unattended and after a few hours, Stacia decided to leave. Without telling anyone, she slipped away undetected. Shoeless, she walked until she reached a nearby road, where she stuck out her thumb for a ride.

It was a cold November morning, and I had travelled with my family to our ancestral temple in a village in Tamil Nadu. My sister's 11-month-old baby was to be tonsured for the first time a religious head-shaving that in Hinduism is a way of discarding the evil eye and removing any negativity from past lives; a new start. My wife drove, but asked me to park the car while she went inside with our son and her parents.

Autism is a condition that impacts many people and is rarely understood by those who don't take the time to understand it or who have the privilege that means it doesn't impact them. I work as a therapist and consultant and am often advocating for myself and others to make accommodations and adjustments to improve the quality of life for those living with neurological conditions (mainly ASD and ADHD).

Village elders offered these powers-stillness and compassion-in lullabies hummed as they fastened tiny saddles, in laps that welcomed small bodies and soothed anxious hearts, and in gentle gazes that shimmered beneath the stars. Slowly, these two powers soaked in, one moment of care at a time, seeping into each child's bones and settling into their hearts. Before they even knew it, the village's children were walking hand in hand with stillness and compassion (Boyette & Hewlett, 2017; Doucleff, 2019).

We always say it's hard to hate up close, Ana Navarro began, continuing: So, I think the theoretical idea of undocumented immigrants is one thing, but when you realize that it's the woman you know, it's the woman who's been serving you waffles in Wisconsin for decades, the woman who's been doing your nails in the Hamptons for decadesthe kid who plays with your kid at school when you put names and faces, when you see those little children on their knees praying and begging the I.C.E. agents not to take away their parents, I dare any Christian American not to feel brokenhearted.

This year in D.C., when so much has felt existential and out of our control, a clear, actionable way to care for the planet has emerged: kill spotted lanternflies. The ecological case against them is real: They are invasive, destructive, and bad for trees. But I still can't bring myself to do it. Each time I see one, with its flickering polka-dotted wings and its clumsy jumps, I hesitate. I know what I'm supposed to do.

Jane Goodall has passed away at the age of 91. She spent her life championing the comprehension and appreciation of the natural world. In so doing, she taught the rest of the world what it means to be human. One of the world's foremost primatologists and conversationists, Goodall was an embodiment of dharma, an Eastern concept that involves finding your purpose and allowing it to guide your life.

"I didn't have very good insurance, and I was worried about the cost," Romano, now 29, tells TODAY.com.

Sometimes with loved ones and friends, the healthiest but hardest thing to do is to say, this is where he is right now and to accept that. You don't have to love it; you don't have to like it; some aspects of it can still pose a question in your mind. But, by saying, this is where he is right now, you acknowledge that he's on a journey and it may not be going as fast as you want, but you're along for the ride.

Trauma can explain behavior, but it does not excuse harm or remove the need for accountability. Healing requires both empathy for the past and responsibility for present actions.

I want the light. And I see those of you who risk everything to hold it. I'm in awe of you.

Unconditional love, like a mother’s for her child, provides strength and healing, creating an invisible connection filled with presence. It transforms relationships and nurtures growth.

Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, relying on hiding behaviors and manipulation to sustain the disorder. This environment causes confusion and helplessness in onlookers.

"The best people have other opportunities elsewhere and who wants to be on an unstable ship, right? So that's exactly the right question," says Deborah Lovich, a Future of Work fellow at BCG Henderson Institute, Boston Consulting Group's think tank.

It's okay to let go of those who couldn't love you. Those who didn't know how to. Those who failed to even try. It's okay to outgrow them, because that means you filled the empty space in you with self-love instead.

If she managed to get you—not even a close friend—to let her move in, this woman is resourceful. I wouldn't be so sure at all that she would end up in a shelter.

Operator Damian Moody was recognized for his commendable efforts during a potentially life-threatening situation. After noticing a young passenger unresponsive on his bus, Damian made repeated attempts to wake the individual and promptly alerted his manager. When the young man still did not respond, Damian calmly contacted 911, providing precise information to emergency dispatch.

Shame can be managed, the loss of life can't. Many people who hoard live in places that pose extreme risk for fire and can trap themselves or firefighters inside.