Key Difference – Compassion vs Service
Compassion and Service are two words that are to be understood in detail when it comes to their inner meaning in order to understand the difference between them. Simply, they can be referred to as two different approaches of the human mind. First let us define the two words. Compassion can be defined as pity and concern shown towards someone. For instance imagine a situation where you feel sorry for someone who is in pain. This is an instance of compassion. Service is different from compassion. Service can be defined as performing a set of duties. It can further be understood as an act of assistance. You may have heard of individuals who have served others. It can be persons suffering from poverty, diseases, etc. This serving is different from feeling compassion. Through this article let us examine the differences in depth.
What is Compassion?
First let us begin with the word compassion. Compassion is nothing but pity inclining one to help or be merciful. It is the feeling of sympathy on the grounds of bereavement, suffering, disease and the like. A compassionate person does his best to show mercy or pity on a person affected by poverty, disease or bereavement. His heart feels for the affected person.
Let us comprehend this through an example. Imagine you notice a person who is suffering from poverty. This individual has no food, housing, money or any means of surviving. It is only natural if you feel pity for this person due to his situation. This is compassion. It can lead you to help the individual. As you can see, in the case of compassion, the feeling of pity drives the individual. Service, on the other hand, is totally different from compassion.
What is Service?
Service consists in working for the downtrodden and the needy in the society. To serve humanity is to work for the uplift of the society, especially when it comes to the development of the downtrodden and the needy.
The superiority of service over compassion has prompted the religious leaders into saying that service should be primary in your minds and not compassion. They say Who are we to feel compassionate? Let us serve the poor and the downtrodden and make them better citizens.
Service is interesting defined as ‘the act of helping or doing work for another or the community.’ God alone can show compassion. On the other hand, God has given the opportunity for the humans not to feel compassionate but to serve others, especially the needy and the poor. This highlights that the words compassion and service should not be used interchangeably, as they convey specific meanings. This difference between the two can be summarized as follows.
What is the Difference Between Compassion and Service?
Definitions of Compassion and Service:
Compassion: Compassion is the feeling of sympathy on the grounds of bereavement, suffering, disease, etc.
Service: Service consists in working for the downtrodden and the needy in the society.
Characteristics of Compassion and Service:
Pity:
Compassion: Compassion involves pity.
Service: Service does not involve pity.
Religious belief:
Compassion: Compassion is only secondary as humans should not feel compassion as they are not superior.
Service: Service is considered as primary.
Idea of God:
Compassion: God alone can show compassion.
Service: God has given the opportunity for the humans not to feel compassionate but to serve others.
Image Courtesy:
1. Poverty in UK By Buddyonline77 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
2. “US Navy 090806-N-6220J-004 Sailors and Navy Delayed Entry Program members serve breakfast to homeless men and women at Dorothy’s Soup Kitchen in Salinas, Calif. during Salinas Navy Week community service event” by U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Steve Johnson [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons