Compassion

Friendship as Contest 3

Ethics and Compassion

Closeup of “Here Comes Everybody” by Francis Upritchard, AGNSW

Thus speaks all great love; it overcomes even forgiveness and compassion.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, “On the Pitying”

Some of the best things that have happened to me in my life have also been the worst. For example, I think about when I was an ordained Anglican minister and became an atheist through reading people like Nietzsche. Chaos ensued, my life fell apart. I suffered, and the people around me suffered. Greatly. But I am glad to have gone through that and have had the opportunity to grow, and ultimately to end up where I am now.

This is not uncommon - I often hear people talking about the pivotal moments in their lives as moments of suffering and upheaval. But often, when we talk about moral or ethical responses to people, we talk about removing difficulty. Alleviating suffering. Avoiding hardship.

I often wonder if this is the best ethics. If we want to be our best, and for others …