Should we have compassion?

Tracy Truong

M. Williams

English 1A

21 October 2013

            Compassion is very significant in life and we should have it for people who need it. Without it, people would be lost. Society is held together by the deep compassion that people feel for each other. In Tattoos on the Heart, the author talks about being compassionate to a boy named Danny. The author was mad at first because firecrackers were set off in the kitchen but when he talked to Danny and told him that he believed he didn’t set off the fireworks because he said he didn’t, Danny began to cry. The compassion that the author shows for this boy just proves how powerful being kind to others can be. By putting yourself into another person’s shoes and trying to feel what they feel, you are being compassionate and caring. Many people are afraid of gang members and try to avoid them, but that just makes things worse for the people in gangs. People usually join gangs because there is a huge problem in their life. They feel an emptiness that they think they can cure by joining a group of people and having their own “family.” These gang members already feel disconnected from the world and the people all around them. If no one ever shows them compassion, how will they ever find a way to get back up on their feet and try to start their lives all over again? People in a community callus are still human beings. It is wrong for those who are more fortunate to turn their heads away from those who have less. It is unfair to turn a cold shoulder to those who obviously need help in their lives. Without compassion, society would not be able to hold itself together. Humans feel compassion because it is needed for survival. To survive, humans need to live and love each other.