Q#999
2007-12-12 02:13:53 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
My suffering has made me stronger, more of a realist... I lost some of my joy and all of my innocence... I'm still a really kind person, still gentle and compassionate, but sometimes I can be very cruel to people... I have a hard time trusting people and opening up to others now. I've also forgiven people, but not forgotten what they did to me. So... I suppose it's made me more of the opposite.
2007-12-13 11:41:08 · answer #1 · answered by trueimage_libra09 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I too have struggled with being more compassionate. I was attacked by a Hispanic male in broad daylight while running with my 11 month old in a jogger. I started hating all Hispanics. It was hard. Especially with all the illegal immigration issues out there I found myself saying to fry them all. It was pitiful. What helped me was to think of Jesus and how He treated everyone. He dealt with so many who were so lost in their ways, but what I discovered was He was straight forward with the way he confronted people. Take the story of the woman at the well. Jesus knew everything about her. It didn't matter that she had done wrong in the past and that she was living in sin with another man. He was matter of fact about her situation and she was taken aback by his love and compassion even though she sinned. I was finding it hard to have compassion toward those who do wrong simply for their own self gain, but I know now that I can hate the sin, but not the person. Remember that. Jesus said "forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do." Well, I keep reminding myself of how Jesus was so merciful even when wrong was being done to Him. Don't get me wrong. It's okay to get angry over a situation that you know is wrong. It's okay to take action against the situation because it's the sin you are attacking, not the person. Your sister was right in telling you in a roundabout way to put yourself in others shoes. Keep reading the Bible. Talk to other Christians and you will be lead in the right direction according to God. God bless!
2016-05-23 05:13:12 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both and neither. My "suffering" has made me older, sadder, tireder, and perhaps a bit wiser. Sometimes I can say that I have become more kind and gentle, and sometimes I think I have become angrier and meaner. I have definately become more compassionate, or maybe I always was and I am just more demonstrative now. But then again, I have also become more stoic and sometimes more apathetic about some things.
Personal sufferning doesn't necessarily change who and what you are; it just changes your perspective.
2007-12-12 04:36:59 · answer #3 · answered by badkitty1969 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
More compassionate, less sympathetic.
More forgiving, less forgetting.
I am kinder and gentler, but I am more discriminating on who I give to. There are many parasites in the world who see kindness as weakness.
2007-12-12 02:31:42 · answer #4 · answered by phil8656 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It has made me jaded, apathetic, mostly emotionless and effective unfazeable.
It has put me beyond the flimsy human concepts of compassion or cruelty... as the two are the same thing in different clothing. I will arbitrarily give with one hand while taking away with the other. I contentedly act without direction nor expectation.
2007-12-12 02:21:21 · answer #5 · answered by Lucid Interrogator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've always been an optimist, but sometimes I worry I'm becoming a cynic. I think I'm as compassionate as I've ever been, but it seems less genuine the more bad stuff that happens to me.
2007-12-12 02:17:39 · answer #6 · answered by thatpirategirl 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It definitly made me a stronger person but it did not change my attitude toward anything. I am already a compassionate person, more than that would be considered weakness.
2007-12-12 02:41:10 · answer #7 · answered by Shadow Song 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it has made me more compassionate towards people who are in similar situations to ones I'm in or have been through, but it has made me more bitter towards people who have achieved things I haven't been able to achieve, and more cynical about the world in general.
I wish I could say differently but that's the truth.
2007-12-12 02:34:53 · answer #8 · answered by CST 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In some cases it has made me stronger and more compassionate.
In other cases, it has left me bitter. So, for me there is no straight forward answer. Just depends on the situation.
2007-12-12 02:22:50 · answer #9 · answered by be happier own a pitbull 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had to think about this one awhile. At first I wasn't sure it affected my compassion for others at all. Then I realized it has helped me understand more about the complex emotional responses to suffering. I know others may not feel what I feel when going through the same experiences, but I know that the pain they feel is just as real. I feel more compassion when I've had experiences to help me understand what pain/suffering is.
2007-12-12 02:32:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋