Is compassion possible without tolerance?

Question

If you had zero tolerance would you have zero compassion?

And conversely, if you had infinite tolerance would you have infinite compassion?

Answer 1

I don't think compassion is at all possible w/out tolerance. Compassion involves being able to put yourself in another's position, if you can't tolerate them, you certainly can't put yourself in his/her place.

Answer 2

Compassion is possible without tolerance. Tolerating someone or something is like tolerating an itch, its there, it annoys you but you do nothing about it, its like saying you tolerate a certain race, although you don't like it, then how could you have compassion? For example you see a little child on the side of the road, its 1950 south of the mason dixon line, the child is black, you do not run the child over with your vehicle because you tolerate the blacks however you do not have the COMPASSION to stop, and pick up the child. Compassion, is the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it whereas the word tolerance is more of an ability to accept something that could be punishable but choosing not to. Perhaps the word to be used is respect. If there is infinite respect there is infinite compassion but the other question is if there is zero respect can there be zero compassion, no becasue something will always appeal to your higher senses I believe, you cannot have respect without compassion but you can have compassion without respect compassion leads to respect.

Answer 3

Yes, I believe you can have compassion with out tolerance. Matter of fact I would think that in many situations tolerance would merely get in the way of true compassion.

As for "infinite tolerance", "infinite compassion", in that order. Accentual. Humanly impossible to do successfully for most. Takes a very special person.

Answer 4

No.. tolerance is not required for compassion. For example.. I have zero tolerance for people who abuse, neglect and mistreat their dogs and yet I still feel sorry for them because they are really missing out on the wonderful friendship a human can have with a dog.

I once came up with this saying... Without understanding there can be no compassion, and without compassion there can be no understanding.

Now for example..
If you have no understanding of dogs and that they feel just as we do etc then you can have no compassion for them when you see them neglected or abused and in fact because of a lack of understanding people may not even realize a dog is being abused or neglected.. But if you understand how dogs feel, behave, etc then you can have compassion for them when they are being abused because you can understand and relate to them in a way that allows you to percieve their suffering and thus feel compassion. Therefore only if you had infinite understanding could you have infinite compassion.

Conversely, if you had no understanding, you could not have compassion.

Answer 5

Yes compassion is possible without tolerance. Here are some examples;
1) I have compassion for child molesters because I know most of them were victims of molestation when they were young. However, I would not tolerate having a child molester in my home.
2) At times when my son is preparing a project, preparing for a test or if I simply ask him to brush his teeth, he becomes angry and upset and makes disrespectful comments. I have compassion for his frustration but I don't tolerate his disrespect.
3) I have a disabled friend who I try to help, she often makes terrible comments/gossip about other people. I don't tolerate many of the comments and tell her that I don't want to hear her remarks. I still have compassion for her, bring her food, buy her clothes, listen to her complaints, try to help her and make her laugh, etc.

I don't know if infinite tolerance results in infinite compassion. Sometimes it appears that people who place a premium on tolerance have no compassion for others who place a premium on values

Answer 6

A very good question.

I think that without any tolerance at all there can be no real compassion. To be truly compassionate requires some tolerance, however I don't think tolerance is the only attribute required. I think understanding and wisdom go hand in hand with tolerance to be truly compassionate. It would be a poor decision to be compassionate to and tolerant of a child rapist without being wise in the dispensing of justice and understanding of the consequences in favour of the victims. Compassion to all without wisdom and understanding would make tolerance meaningless and conversely tolerance for all without wisdom and understanding would make compassion meaningless.

A combination of all, tolerance, compassion with wisdom and understanding of consequence in varying measure depending on the circumstance ...the Middle Path....would be my answer.

Peace from a Buddhist.

Answer 7

Yes. Compassion is possible without tolerance.

No. Infinite tolerance would not have infinite compassion.

Answer 8

To answer this to in a meaningful way, it will be necessary to agree upon definitions for these terms.

I propose the following:

Tolerance: acceptance of behaviors, positions, and beliefs which are at odds with your own.

Compassion: a strong sense of empathy and/or sympathy with respect to the conditions, needs, and circumstances of others; caring and concern about others.


I doubt that anyone can ever be "infinitely" tolerant. This would mean that you would need to accept murder, rape, the singing of country music, and even genocide when committed by others. Even Janists might be miffed by such actions.

I also believe that infinite compassion is a bit of a stretch. Can you really feel empathy for someone who deliberately destroys their own life for no real reason (in the absence of a mental disorder)? Can you really care about someone who displays the most abhorrantly evil behavior? I suppose its possible, but not for me.

However, for the sake of your question, let's accept that these extremes are, in fact, possible.

So, I would say that a person utterly lacking tolerance could conceivably feel empathy (compassion) for someone who is experiencing a problem which does not directly conflict with that person's beliefs. For example, if the intolerant person saw a family which was without food he or she could feel compassion so long as the reason for lacking food was not at odds with his or her beliefs (e.g. sloth, laziness, etc..)

If one had infinite tolerance, he or she would not NECESSARILY have to feel compassion. Another example. I can accept that vandals like to destroy property with graffiti; but I could feel no empathy or sympathy for their reasons for doing so. In other words, I don't have to care. I could simply accept a condition or set of circumstances without really caring.

Therefore, I conclude that the answer to both of your queries is, no.

Good Luck!

;o)

Answer 9

Tolerance simply gives people the right to exist within close proximity of people who are different from them. Compassion is noticing suffering and tending to it.

Compassion is best seen in action. Tolerance is an attitude. I have seen people act with compassion, then in so doing develop tolerance.

When my life partner was dying from cancer in 2000, my father, who had never really understood why I considered my gay relationship with my partner all encompassing, realized the relationship's meaning as he watched me care for him. For the first time, he understood that we were just as married as he and my mother. He was there to help, but in so doing, he learned what it meant to open himself to more tolerance.

Answer 10

Tolerance is a necessity to have compassion... in fact, acceptance is necessary for compassion... not agreement, but acceptance.