This image speaks very clearly. The gentleman was a tourist in a poor country and ran across a very poor girl with no shoes. And so he took off his own and offered them to her.

In the modern West, “compassion” is forced upon people, and it is implied that they are very bad if they don’t eagerly comply. That has turned many thoughtful people against what is called compassion. Forced compassion, as it happens, is the enemy of organic compassion. Or, in other words: Compulsion negates compassion.

What we’re seeing in this image is real, unforced compassion. It is being expressed spontaneously, out of the goodness of this man’s heart, not by guilt and pressure. As a result, it carries a deep and abiding beauty.

Compassion is in us. It can and should flow out of us, freely. When that happens, the world is improved and we become better creatures.

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Now, before going back to the mundane, please recall times when you showed actual compassion: not because people forced you to, or because of guilt, but because you wanted to help someone. Take some time replaying that in your mind. Or, imagine doing something like this. Thank you.