“Pity is easy.” It carries with it an aura of superiority over those that we pity. Pity allows us to eliminate the guilt, so we can feel good about ourselves. Kindness and compassion are based more on empathy and genuine care. And are more about the other person.
Those that are ill, seek kindness, compassion and competence — they certainly don’t need pity. I agree with the notion that “pity is a benign form of abuse”.
No need to patronize those that battle their personal , psychological and physical demons. Compassion and empathy are better bedfellows than pity and superficial sympathy.
About Hemant Rustogi